The Promise
by Athena Alexandria
Summary: Sequel to The Edge Of The Ocean. Almost a year after he last saw her in Australia, Jack struggles to keep his promise to Kate.
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys – here are the first two chapters of the sequel I promised. I'm sorry if they seem a bit disjointed, but I figured that I could either spend thousands of words fleshing out Jack's first eleven months without Kate, or I could skip ahead to the part where he tries to find her, which is what I know you're all waiting for. I'm going to write it as a kind of mystery story, so it might be a while before we get a clear picture of what she's been up to.

I wracked my brains for a title, but couldn't come up with anything poetic, so I decided to go with something simple. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet -- the story or the title – I'm never happy with the first few chapters of a new fic. It usually takes me a while to warm to it, and then all of a sudden it's my favourite…

* * *

Chapter 1. The Card

_"So I guess this is goodbye then."_

_"Not forever. I'm going to figure something out, and then I'm going to find you. I'll find you, Kate."_

Twelve months.

For almost twelve months, Jack had been replaying these words over and over in his head, wondering how he was ever going to keep his promise. Kate was a fugitive; she prided herself on being invisible. It wasn't like she'd left him much of a trail.

For the past twelve months, the only knowledge he'd had of her whereabouts had come from the card.

He'd only spoken to her once since he'd left her in Australia, just a few weeks after he got back to L.A. She'd called his office in the middle of the night to let him know she was safe; after a lot of awkward pauses, he'd managed to wrangle out of her the name of the place she was staying.

He'd found the address on the Internet, so he'd sent her the card.

It wasn't easy to get a credit card under a false name, but Sawyer had helped him as soon as he heard it was for Kate. It would have been easier to send her cash, but she was determined to avoid direct contact with Jack, for fear that the Feds were still watching him.

Almost a year ago now, in Australia, when they'd burst into the motel room he was sharing with Kate, Jack had told them that she'd drugged him into order to escape. They'd forced him to undergo blood tests to confirm his story, but he knew how to fake the results of a tox screen, so in the end, they'd had to let him go. But they'd been keeping an eye on him ever since, sending cars to stake out his apartment, screening his mail, tapping his home phone – fortunately, confidentiality laws prevented them from listening in on his work calls as well – apparently unconvinced that he'd ceased having any kind of contact with Kate.

Even though it was the truth.

It wasn't even close to what he wanted – he would have given anything for a letter, at the very least – but it had helped at first that every month, when Sawyer sent him the bill in a nondescript envelope, Jack could see where she'd been, and know that she wasn't sleeping on the streets, or in a shelter somewhere. He'd been able to track her progress that way, through Australia, and eventually, back to the US, but he could never catch up with her, because by that time, she'd already moved on.

Still, it had been enough to know that she was safe, until a little over three months ago, when the charges had stopped. She started withdrawing cash then, until about a month earlier, when all activity on the card had ceased.

Suddenly, for the first time in almost a year, Jack had no idea where she was.

It had terrified him, a few days into November, when he tore open the envelope to find that first blank statement. He called Sawyer right away, hoping that it was a mistake, but the southerner insisted that there was nothing wrong with the account; he'd been pulling this stunt for years, and the bank never seemed to cotton on.

He hadn't heard from Kate either; he tried to cover it up, but Jack could hear the fear in his voice when he realised what the sudden lack of activity could mean.

Either she'd found another way to get by, or something had happened to her, something neither one of them wanted to contemplate. With no evidence to the contrary, Jack began to fear that she was dead, or that she'd been caught again. He tried to console himself with the idea that if she was, or if she had, he would have heard about it, but when no news came one way or the other, he decided it was time to make good on his promise.

He still didn't have a plan, as to how he would find her, or what he would do when he did, but he needed to make sure that she was okay, even if he couldn't be with her. He needed to see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Secret Meetings and Clandestine Phone Calls

When he'd first returned from Australia, Jack had tried to make his loss mean something by slipping back into his old routine. Kate wanted him to be happy, so he tried, more for her sake than his own, but it wasn't long before he found himself withdrawing, from his friends, his family, his life.

He went back to work, and did his job as well as he had before, but he didn't stick around to make small talk with his colleagues, or go to staff functions, returning to his empty apartment as soon as he was done.

The only people he saw outside of work were his mother, and his best friend, Marc; picking up on his loneliness, they'd conspired to set him up with women that they knew, but he never called them, never went on any dates, never put any effort into getting to know them. He couldn't explain it to either of them, not the least of all because he couldn't tell them about Kate, but even though she was out of his life, he still didn't feel single; almost a year on, he felt like he was betraying her by even contemplating the idea of seeing someone else.

His still loved his job, but it left him hollow; he resented the fact that he saved his patients so that they could go back to their wives and their families, at such a high personal cost. His career had cost him every woman he'd ever loved, including the one woman who'd seemed to understand his commitment to it better than he did. If it weren't for his saviour complex, he and Kate would still be together, but she was convinced that she would never be enough for him, and in a sense, it was true.

The cruel irony of it all was that without her, he still felt incomplete; he hadn't felt at peace with his life since the island, when, for a short time, he'd had the best of both worlds.

The highlight of his month was when he sat down with the statement, and tried to imagine that wherever she was, he was there with her, like he had been for so brief a period. As turbulent as they were, the days he'd spent sailing around the South Pacific with Kate were some of the best of his life; he'd actually believed he had a future with her then, even if she didn't.

It was hard, only being able to guess at where she was, and what she was doing; when she stopped using the card, and he lost track of her again, he did the only thing he could think of to find her: he hired a private investigator. It was a risk, he knew, a big one, to involve a stranger in his search, but he didn't have the time, or the resources, to chase up every fruitless lead. To ensure the man's silence, he was paying him double his usual fee, securing his loyalty with the promise of a $50, 000 bonus if he found her, to offset the reward offered by the Feds.

But the process was maddeningly slow. It didn't help, either, that the only picture of her he could offer the PI was her mugshot; as far as Jack knew, she still had the original, so he'd had to lie through his teeth to get a friend of a friend to retrieve it out of the police database.

He'd kept a copy for himself, so that he could see her face from time to time, but the woman in the picture wasn't the Kate he knew; he wished he'd thought to take a better one in Bali, or in the few days they'd spent together in Australia, one where she was smiling. It pained him to see her hopeless expression every time he took it out of the drawer; it was the same one she'd worn on their last night together, when she told him that their relationship wasn't going to work. He hadn't really believed that she'd go until it was too late; maybe that was why he'd never bothered with photographs.

After more than a month of secret meetings and clandestine phone calls, Jack was beginning to feel like he was leading a double life; more so than when he was on the run with Kate. He went to work, helped his patients, visited his mother, lived his life the way he always had in public, but when he was alone, his thoughts turned to Kate, and he found himself obsessing over her, calling everyone he could think of in a desperate attempt to track her down.

No one from the island knew where she was; they were all surprised to learn that Jack didn't either. It was too painful to keep explaining why, after they'd left together on the boat, they weren't together still, so once he'd established that their so called "coconut Internet" didn't contain anything that would help him locate Kate, he drifted out of touch with most of them.

Strangely enough, he didn't lose contact with Sawyer. Though they'd never been great friends, the one thing they undoubtedly had in common was Kate. So while Jack's murderous hours forced him to rely on gossip and computer records, and whatever meagre scraps of information the PI could dredge up, the southerner conducted his own search, drifting around the country, following up on leads that proved groundless more often than not. While he'd long ago relinquished any claim he had on her, forfeiting the race, it was obvious that he still loved her; Jack knew that he wouldn't waste so much of his time on her if he didn't.

He didn't have any more luck finding her than Jack did, though; by early December, all traces of Kate appeared to have vanished, leaving Jack to wonder if he'd ever see her again.

* * *

So where is Kate? What has she been doing? And why has she stopped leaving Jack breadcrumbs? You'll have to keep reading to find out…

I love the idea of Jack and Sawyer putting aside their conflict, and teaming up to find her. I have a pretty cool idea for chapter 3 which I'm pretty sure you'll all like – there should finally be some dialogue and proper scene direction then.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow! I never get this many reviews in one day! I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far -- I wasn't sure I liked it as much as TEOTO, or any of my other fics, until I wrote this chapter. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it -- it's something I know a lot of you have been waiting for.

Fortunately for me, I'm a post grad student now, so I make my own hours. So if you keep me motivated, I might just be able to keep up my usual pace, on top of the ridiculous amount of research I'm doing.

I'm enjoying your theories, so please feel free to keep speculating about where Kate is, and what's she's been doing. This update should give you something to think about.

Oh, and I'm glad Jate's looking more promising -- I've heard that when she and Sawyer get back to the island, Kate is going to be spending a lot of time with Sayid and Locke...

* * *

Chapter 3. Outside Help

It was after midnight one night; Jack was sitting in his office, going through some old medical journals for a patient, when he had an epiphany, one so simple, so obvious, that he couldn't believe it had taken him so long to think of it.

Sawyer wasn't the only man, besides him, who was likely to be keeping tabs on Kate; there was another man, a third man, who had reason to take an interest in her whereabouts, and the resources to follow through.

Settling back in his chair, staring blankly at the bookcase, Jack found himself flashing back to that night in Bali, almost a year ago now, that he and Kate had run into her ex-husband, Kevin. Jack had only seen him briefly, but the pain in his eyes was unmistakable; the guy was obviously still hung up on her, even if those feelings were now laced with abhorrence at the way she treated him in the end.

If he could believe Kate, Kevin didn't want to get back together with her, so he didn't think he would be actively searching for her like he was, but at the very least, Jack was pretty sure Kate's ex could tell him whether or not she'd been arrested; he was a cop, after all.

Closing the journal he'd been looking at, but not really seeing, Jack tried to remember the few conversations he'd had with Kate about Kevin. He knew he was a cop, based in Miami… if he could just come up with a surname, it shouldn't be hard to track him down.

It was sure to be an awkward phone call, but as badly as Jack wanted information on Kate, he also couldn't help being curious about the man she'd once intended to spend the rest of her life with. While Jack knew it would be unfair to blame him for the way things turned out, as ignorant as he was in all this, Kevin's past with Kate had tainted their future; their marriage had left her pessimistic towards her relationship with Jack. Even though he didn't blame him, there were days when Jack couldn't help thinking that if things had been different, if she hadn't met Kevin, she might have fought harder to stay with him.

Drumming his fingers on the desk, Jack thought back to the night on the island when Kate had finally told him about her past. It was also the first night they'd spent together; pushing aside the memory, he forced himself to concentrate on the jumble of names and events she'd imparted to him, until he found the one he wanted.

Callis.

Switching on his computer, he managed to locate the number for the Miami PD in an online directory. The chances of Kevin being on shift tonight were pretty slim, but he was too agitated to put the conversation off until tomorrow.

He caught him during the shift change, just as he was on his way out.

"Hello?" he heard the voice on the other end say, tired, and a little annoyed at being held up.

Jack could emphasize; he hadn't been in the mood for anything outside of his basic job description since Kate had left him either. "Listen, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but my name is Jack Shephard – I'm looking for information on a woman you used to know." He heard a sharp intake of breath; Kevin seemed to know what was coming. "Kate, Kate Austen – you knew her as Monica."

There was a long pause, and then Kevin said, "You're that guy, aren't you? The one from Bali?"

Jack didn't know what to say, so he agreed. "That's right."

"She pulled a runner on you too, huh?" Kevin said, more as a statement, than a question, his voice bitter as he added, "Did she drug you as well? Or were you actually conscious?"

"It was sort of a mutual decision," Jack tried to explain, but Kevin laughed.

"Yeah – I'm sure it was." He composed himself, then asked, "So what is it you want?" his tone flat and defeated.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen or heard from her in the last twelve months."

Kevin laughed again, sardonically, on the other end. "Aside from that little encounter in Bali, I haven't seen or heard from her in years."

As relieved as he was that Kate was telling the truth, that there really wasn't anything going on between her and Kevin anymore, Jack couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He really had hoped that the other man would have some information that would help him.

"I do have one other question," he said, licking his lips nervously. Even though he knew that Kevin was well aware of Kate's criminal past, he didn't feel all that comfortable mentioning it to him, especially since he was a cop. If he really wanted vengeance against her, it wouldn't be hard for him to obtain it.

"Oh yeah?" Kevin sounded vaguely amused by this, as if he thought Jack was just some other poor sap who couldn't let go of the past.

"I was just wondering if you'd heard anything about her, you know, through official channels," Jack asked carefully.

There was another pause. "You mean do I know if they've taken her in yet?" Kevin asked, once he'd finished decoding Jack's question.

"Yeah." Jack could feel himself beginning to sweat, waiting for the other man to answer. It really wasn't that difficult: yes or no.

"No."

Jack let out the breath he was holding; it escaped in a sigh of relief, which Kevin must have caught, because he added, "But then it's unlikely I'd hear anything if she was caught somewhere else. I'd have to make some enquiries."

Jack felt his heart tighten again. "Could you?" he asked tentatively, knowing that he was probably overstepping the line here.

"Sure." Kevin sighed, softening, the sadness in his tone palpable as he said, "I may come across a bit harsh, but I do still care about her you know – she was still my wife. I don't exactly want to see her go to prison. If you leave me your number, I'll make some calls, see what I can find out. I can't promise you anything, but I'll try."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Another Kevin

Kevin called the next day to let Jack know that as near as he could tell, Kate hadn't been arrested again since that time in Australia, before the crash.

"I spoke to a few contacts, searched our databases, court records, nothing," he explained. "Unless it's just happened, they don't have her."

Jack felt relief wash over him at these words, but he quickly sobered up when he realised that that didn't eliminate any of the other possibilities. "If… if something had happened to her, would they have a record of that too?" he asked, hoping that Kevin would read between the lines, and save him the pain of having to voice his real question.

"You mean if she was… dead?" Kevin man clarified, choking on the words just as Jack had.

"Yeah." Jack's mouth went dry as he swallowed against the lump in his throat, awaiting the other man's answer.

"They'd have to identify the body first, which could be something of a problem," Kevin explained with the same clinical detachment Jack used when he was trying to avoid his emotions. It seemed that they had something else in common, other than Kate; both had jobs that forced them to confront unpleasant truths. "If she wasn't carrying any ID, or if it was fake…" he inhaled sharply. "Why, what have you heard?"

"Nothing, that's the problem," Jack told him, the irony of confiding his fears in Kate's ex-husband not lost on him. "I got a friend to help me set up a credit account for her, under a false name," he explained, wondering if he should be telling a cop this, "But about a month ago, she stopped using it. Since then I haven't heard anything."

There was a pause as Kevin considered this. "So maybe she's using a different one now. She's gotten a hold of fake identity papers before – when we were married, I saw her birth certificate, for Christ's sake."

"Why?" Jack asked stubbornly, not comprehending. "It's a possible, I guess, but I just don't understand why she would do that unless she got caught."

There was another long silence on the other end. Finally, Kevin said, "Maybe she doesn't want you to find her."

The thought had occurred to Jack more than once in the past few weeks, but he'd pushed it aside, unwilling to believe that there was any truth to it. Kate loved him, she'd told him that in Bali, and again in Australia before she'd left; why wouldn't she want to see him? Why wouldn't she want him to see her?

"Listen, I'm sure it's nothing personal," Kevin added, his voice suddenly sympathetic. "It's just what she does. I came to terms with that a long time ago – maybe you should too."

The conversation was beyond awkward after that; after he'd thanked the other man, and hung up, Jack sat staring out his office window, considering what he'd said. Was it possible that Kate really was alive and well, and just didn't want anything more to do with him? After almost twelve months, had she finally gotten him out of her system, like Kevin? Or was she still trying to protect him, to keep him from getting any further involved in her crimes? Was he really just another Kevin, another guy she couldn't commit too? Was all this just an excuse?

So far, throughout this long and ridiculous process, he'd done a pretty good job of keeping his emotions under control, but right then Jack wanted to hit something. All he wanted was a letter, a phone call, anything to let him know that she was okay, that she was still thinking of him, that she still wanted to be with him, one day, when it was safe. It wasn't too much to ask, not after everything he'd been willing to sacrifice for her; that he was still willing to sacrifice for her, if she would just say the word.

* * *

Poor Jack. He's losing his faith, but I'm thinking next chapter, he'll have it restored by someone surprising... (Not Kate!)


	5. Chapter 5

Given what's been happening on the show, I really thought you guys were going to guess Jack's mystery visitor -- the one person besides Kate who can attest to her feelings for Jack!

* * *

Chapter 5. Chin Up, Cowboy

When Jack entered the dimly lit hallway of his apartment building later that night, he was greeted by the feint glow of a cigarette.

"This is a non-smoking building," he told the intruder, nodding towards the sign by the lift as he unlocked his door.

"Yeah, well, I ain't smoking, am I?" Sawyer returned with a self-assured grin, waving his cigarette to show that it was nowhere near his mouth.

Jack ignored this as he let himself into his apartment. "You coming in?" he asked, switching on the light, and shedding his coat.

"Sure," Sawyer agreed, stubbing his cigarette out on his boot, and flicking the butt into the hallway. "Always wanted to see how the other half lives."

He followed Jack through the apartment, into the kitchen, taking a good look around as they went. "Nice place you got here, Doc," he drawled, though Jack was pretty sure he was being sarcastic. There were boxes stacked all over the floor; it had been almost twelve months since he'd moved in, but he still hadn't gotten around to unpacking his belongings once he'd rescued them from storage. He spent most of his time at the hospital, anyway, and once he got home, he didn't seem to have the energy for anything but sleep.

That said, he wasn't really in the mood for a social call, especially at this late hour. "So what brings you here, Sawyer?" he asked tiredly, rubbing his forehead with one hand as he opened the fridge, and stared into it; he'd been in such a rush to get home to bed, that he hadn't remembered to pick anything up for dinner again.

Deciding that he could use a drink more than something to eat, he took out a can of beer, tossing one to Sawyer as an afterthought.

Sawyer caught it easily, pulling the tab, and chugging back a few sips, before helping himself to a seat at the table. "Just got back from the Midwest," he drawled, "Though I'd stop by and give you an update."

Despite his melancholy mood, Jack felt himself perk up at this. There was only one reason the southerner would be headed that way. "Did you—?"

"No," Sawyer said quickly, his expression growing serious.

Jack let out the breath he was holding, closing his eyes as he registered this. So Sawyer hadn't seen Kate. She hadn't been home.

"It was the anniversary of her mom's death, day after last," the southerner continued, ignoring Jack's burst of emotion. "Staked out the boneyard the whole day – thought she might stop by. She didn't." He took another sip of his beer, then set it down, staring at the tabletop, before adding, "You don't think the Feds finally got her do you?" When he looked up again, Jack could see the raw emotion in his eyes at the idea.

"No, they didn't," he said quietly, fidgeting with his beer on the counter.

Sawyer's expression morphed into surprise; he raised his eyebrow as he asked, "And how exactly would you know that?"

"I spoke to someone with access to police records," Jack explained, keeping his words deliberately vague; he didn't really want to go into the specifics of his conversation with Kevin, not least of all because that would force him to relive it.

But it was too late to avoid that now; Sawyer's eyes flashed as snapped, "You talked to a cop? I know you're new at this, but hell, Jack, I didn't think you were that stupid."

Jack's name sounded strange coming out of the southerner's mouth; he knew he was really angry then. "He wasn't just any cop," he told him with a sigh, knowing that he would now be forced to explain, "He was Kate's husband."

Sawyer lost his anger as he considered this. "You talked to her old man?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yeah." Jack's strength was beginning to fail him, so he took a seat across from Sawyer. "I thought he might be able to help."

"I woulda loved to be a fly on the wall during that little chitchat," Sawyer mused. He was silent for a moment, then he added, still trying to wrap his head around this revelation, "Hell, she told me she was married, but to a cop? Was this before or after she went on the run?"

"After."

Sawyer shook his head, a tiny smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Ain't no one else like her," he said with obvious affection.

Once, Jack would have been jealous, but no longer. Sawyer wasn't trying to find Kate for himself, he was finding her for Jack. He just wanted her to be happy; Jack sometimes wondered if he was capable of that kind of selfless love, at least, where Kate was concerned. He wanted her to be happy too, but not without him, not with someone else.

"So what'd he say?" Sawyer asked, breaking the silence.

Jack steered his thoughts away from Kate, back to the conversation at hand. "He said there was nothing on record about her being arrested again." He tried to remain detached, but with Kate, that was never easy; he looked away, staring down at the tiles as he remembered the way the conversation had ended.

"What else'd he say?" the southerner pressed, seeming to pick up on the change in Jack's mood.

"What? That was it," Jack told him, snapping out of his trance. He was afraid that if they went there, Sawyer would back Kevin up, reminding him that what Kate had done to her ex-husband was essentially what she'd done to him. She'd let Sawyer believe that she loved him, then she'd run from him, moving on to Jack at the first available opportunity. It was still a sore spot between them, one Jack didn't think would ever completely heal.

"Come on, Doc – you've been in a snit since I got here, and I know it's not just 'cause of Freckles," Sawyer probed, unwilling to let it go. "What'd Chief Wiggam say to get your panties in a twist like this?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the way the southerner managed to insult him, and express concern, at the same time. "When I told him what was happening," he said slowly, "He suggested that the reason I haven't heard from her in a while is because she doesn't want to be found." He swallowed, forcing back his emotions as he added, "That she might not want to see me."

It was Sawyer's turn to laugh. "And you believed him? Then you're as dumb as he is, 'cause anyone who knows you knows that don't make any sense." Jack saw a flicker of jealousy pass through his eyes as he went on. "There were days on the island when I thought I was going to need a damn crowbar to get her away from you. She was always following you into the jungle like some kinda groupie."

He paused, looking dejected at this memory, and Jack couldn't help feeling a little guilty that Kate had chosen him, even if it was beginning to look like it was only temporary. He'd been where Sawyer was, and it wasn't fun, being the one who wasn't good enough. Who would never be good enough.

Sawyer recovered quickly, sculling the rest of his beer, and smirking at Jack. "So chin up, Cowboy – that guy has no idea what he's talking about."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Sam

Sawyer stayed until midnight, then departed, declining Jack's offer to spend the night on his couch. He left L.A. the next day; Jack had no idea where he was headed this time, but he promised to call him if he heard anything about Kate.

Though his conversation with the southerner had restored his faith in Kate's love for him, Jack couldn't help noting how unlikely it was that Sawyer would be any more successful this time. It had been a full five weeks since he'd uncovered any new evidence of her; the trail was growing colder by the minute. The last record he had of her was in New York, where she'd withdrawn a couple of hundred dollars in cash, but he doubted that she was still there now, especially if Kevin was right, and she didn't want to be found. Since then, Jack had poured every ounce of energy he had left after surgery into figuring out her next move, but she was wily and unpredictable; between himself, Sawyer, and the PI he'd hired, they'd exhausted every obvious lead.

Except one.

Three weeks earlier, Jack had learned from the PI that Kate's stepfather, Sam, once a Ranger in the US military, had retired to a desk job as a recruiting officer in Washington D.C. He knew that they'd always been close, that Kate considered him her real father, so it seemed likely that she would have contacted him some time in the past twelve months, if only to let him know that she'd survived the crash. Unfortunately, that meant that the Feds had probably been in contact with him too, which made gaining his trust problematic.

His home address wasn't listed in the phone book, nor was his home number; the information Jack had would have been enough to go on, if Jack could get the time off work to go up there and see him. It would have been easier to call him at his office, like Kevin, but the conversation Jack wanted to have with him didn't seem appropriate for the phone; he doubted Sam would tell him anything anyway, not until he could be sure that Jack was really who he said he was, and not a cop.

He knew he could have sent Sawyer, but he really wanted to talk to Kate's dad himself; that was why it felt like a sign when, on staring at the noticeboard in the on call room the next day, his eyes fell on a flier confirming the timetable for a conference in D.C. It was to be held from the 8th to the 10th of December, two days from then; even though it was short notice, Jack couldn't see how the chief of staff would object to him going to there on the grounds of improving his skills.

Perusing the list of presentations, he decided that he had no real interest in any of the speakers, personally, or professionally, but it was a convenient cover story; not only would it enable him to take time of work, but it would also save him having to field awkward questions from his mother, and Marc, when he told them he was going out of town.

As he took out his PDA to make a note of the details, Jack's pager went off, so he shoved the flier into the pocket of his lab coat, intending to discuss it with the chief later. It was a long shot, but he couldn't help thinking that if the trip paid off, he would be one step closer to finding Kate.

* * *

Next chapter, there will be a hitch in Jack's plan to go to Washington -- but don't worry, he'll get there, he just might have some company...

And since you guys are getting worried, I'll treat you to a little spoiler: Kate is indeed alive, and free, and will put in an appearance soon, but when she does, there will still be a lot of questions...


	7. Chapter 7

Okay. When I tried to update earlier, but the site kept crashing, but it appears to be working now. That gave me the chance to write chapter 9, which I'm sure you'll all be glad for. It will be a while before we see Jack and Kate together, but rather than drag this out too longer, I'm going to reveal Kate's whereabouts this update, along a pretty big hint about what she's been doing...

* * *

Chapter 7. Spring Break

It wasn't hard for Jack to convince the chief, or his mother, that the conference was a good idea; Margo Shephard had been married to a surgeon for more than forty years, so she was used to her husband's sudden absences; but Marc was a different story.

"I have a wild idea," he said when Jack called to let him know that he wouldn't be able to make their usual poker night that week; poker night was the one social activity Jack couldn't seem to get out of, with Marc refusing to believe that he'd rather stay at home alone.

Even if it was true.

Everything reminded him of Kate these days, and poker was no exception. Whenever he played now, he couldn't stop thinking about that night in Australia, when she'd told him that she found it sexy when he got all intense over a game. It always made him wish he could go back there, to that moment, to see her looking at him like that again, to touch her, to tell her that he'd made a mistake when he hadn't answered her question on the beach, when he hadn't told her that he didn't need anything but her. Because now that he'd experienced the alternative…

"Why don't I come with you to DC?" his best friend continued, breaking into his self-pitying thoughts.

Marc's "wild idea" was worse than anything Jack could have imagined under the circumstances; he opened his mouth to protest, but his friend cut him off, warming to the concept.

"You can go to that conference of yours, then afterwards, we can hit a few bars, pick up some chicks, try to get you over this aversion to fun you've developed since you got off that island. Not that you were ever fun," he added with a smirk that Jack could see from the other end of the phone line.

"I don't have an aversion to fun," Jack told him seriously, wishing that it were that simple, that a couple of nights at a bar in DC really would cure him. That would certainly be easier to explain to his friend. "I just have a lot going on at the moment, which is why this probably isn't a good idea. I'm not going to have a lot of time to hang out – you'd be on your own most of the time."

"I'm sure I can find a way to entertain myself," Marc conceded, a hint of suggestion in his tone.

Jack didn't doubt that that was true; Marc could pick up girls the way other people picked up groceries. He had that roguish charm that Jack had never been able to master; he didn't come across as dangerous like Sawyer, more boyish and mischievous, but it was enough for him to win over most of the women he targeted. "I'm sure you can too," he agreed with a little laugh.

"So it's settled then?" Marc insisted, mistaking this for agreement.

"No, Marc, what about work?" he reminded him, grasping at straws. If he let his best friend come on the trip, then he'd never be able to sneak off to see Sam, not without having to explain, and he didn't know how he would do that without sounding like he'd lost his mind. There was a reason he'd never told Marc about Kate, and that was pretty much it. If he knew his friend, he'd think it was hot for about the first five seconds, some kind of perverse fantasy, and then, once he realised how serious Jack was about her, he'd freak out and try to convince him to stop looking.

"No problem," Marc said, making Jack curse inwardly. After almost twelve months of poker nights, and movie nights, and surprise double dates, he'd had enough of being baby-sat, as if he couldn't be trusted to be on his own; his best friend had even taken to accompanying him to weekly dinners with his mother. Secretly, Jack had come to refer to this oddly symbiotic behaviour as "suicide watch", because that was what it felt like most of the time. He wondered if his mother had put Marc up to it; she wasn't the most maternal woman he'd ever met, but every so often, in her own way, she'd take an interest in his life, especially since she'd learned that he hadn't been killed in the plane crash.

"I only have a few cases at the moment," Marc continued casually, unaware that his good intentions were threatening Jack's future happiness, "Just briefings mostly – I'll palm them off on Harry, go over his notes on the weekend… It'll be fine. I can't remember the last time I took a vacation, so he can't object." There was a pause, and then he continued, grinning, "Come on, man, it'll be awesome – like Spring Break, only we don't have to go back to our parents when it's over."

Spring Break.

Great.

Try as he might, Jack couldn't seem to muster any enthusiasm for the idea. All he could think about was the fact that if Marc's plan went ahead, he was going to have to find a way to ditch him, or else the trip was a bust, and he was right back where he started from.

He knew it was wrong, but if it came to a choice, he chose Kate, or whatever information her father could give him that would bring him closer to her.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry, no Juliet. Marc is going to be a little annoying on Jack's DC trip, but don't worry, he will come in handy in chapter 10...

* * *

Chapter 8. D.C.

Jack spent the next two days coming up with subtle ways to talk Marc out of it, but, to his dismay, when the 8th of December rolled around, he found himself boarding a plane to DC with his friend. To make matters worse, even though he wasn't part of the conference, Marc had charmed the receptionist into letting him book the room adjoining Jack's, so he would be there, in the hotel, to walk him to the door of the conference room each morning, and more than likely, meet him in the afternoon.

It was like being in elementary school again; Jack was pretty sure that aside from his brief sojourn with the Others, that was the last time he'd had this much supervision. Getting away, even for an hour or two, was going to be a nightmare; he was beginning to think that if he killed Marc, that would at least give him a reason to go back on the run with Kate. Not that he needed a reason these days; he would have done it just to see her again.

With no escape, Jack spent the first day of his trip trapped in the hotel's conference room, checking his watch at regular intervals, as he waited for an opportunity to slip off unnoticed. It didn't come before Marc arrived; in fact, a doctor from one of the local hospitals recognised him, cornering him during the interval, and lecturing him about the now famous surgery he'd performed on Sarah, despite the fact that he was there.

Afterwards, he told him what an honour it would be for Jack to come in and speak to his interns; thinking that it might buy him enough time away from Marc, and the hotel, to sneak in a visit to Sam, Jack agreed, though he had no idea what he would say. His days of impromptu speeches were over; he no longer had any interest in having his words thrown back at him, like he had countless times on the island. If he heard the words "live together, die alone," one more time, he was pretty sure he would have no choice but to go on the run with Kate, because he would probably throttle the person who uttered them…

When Marc met him at the door at five, Jack only had enough time alone to shower and change into more casual clothes before he was dragged out into the city. Since Jack was adamant in his refusal to encourage Marc's plan to get him drunk, and he was pretty sure, laid, Marc chose a bar he liked, and, inside, Jack spent the next few hours fidgeting in his seat, as he had at the conference, only with a beer in front of him instead of coffee. He couldn't have been very good company, because by ten o'clock, Marc had ditched him for a blonde he met at the bar, leaving Jack to walk back to the hotel alone.

It was too late to call in on Sam at work by then; his office would have closed hours ago. Hoping for a miracle he was pretty sure wouldn't come, he stopped at the front desk, borrowing their phone book, but finding nothing listed under "S. Austen", he took the lift up to his room, and went to bed, disappointed.

Jack's next two days in D.C. weren't much better. He got up, had breakfast with Marc, went to the conference while Marc visited his new "friend", Amy, tagged along with them in the evening when they went out, going to bed early, frustrated and angry with the situation.

On the third night, he refused to drink, resolving to rent a car, and drive around the city, later, after Marc had inevitably gone home with the blonde. He didn't expect to find Kate that way, or even Sam, but it helped to do something, anything, in his current condition. He was out all night, creeping along the residential streets, looking for some sign of either of them, but it was a big city, and by seven o'clock, he was forced to go back to the hotel, no closer to learning anything new.

His cell rang once; he thought it might be Sawyer, but it was only Marc, calling to let him know that he wouldn't be coming back to the hotel that night. As if that was news.

His one consolation was that being invited to speak at the hospital meant another day in D.C., and another chance to talk to Sam. If he could get rid of Marc, he would have the morning to himself, to do whatever he wanted. He hadn't had time do any laundry, so he still needed to buy a new shirt, but that would still leave him plenty of time to visit the military base, and Kate's father.

Marc hated shopping, so it seemed like the perfect cover story; that was why Jack was surprised that, when he told him he was going to the mall at breakfast, his friend offered to come with him.

"I thought you'd have plans," Jack said meaningfully, but fate didn't seem to be smiling on him any more this morning than it had last night.

Marc shrugged. "Amy has to work today, so we said our goodbyes last night." He grinned as he stood to refill his plate. "Guess that means you've got me all to yourself today, buddy." He left the table, then turned back, adding, "Besides, I came here to hang out – it seems a little wrong to keep ditching you for some chick I'm probably never going to see again."

Jack was glad his friend wasn't there to see his look of irritation; he knew he meant well, by coming on this trip, and keeping an eye on him, but his constant presence was becoming intolerable. He only had one day left in D.C.; he didn't want to waste it making small talk with Marc, not when he didn't know how long it would be before he could get back here.

He couldn't think of a way to get rid of him without offending him, though, so after breakfast, they took Jack's rental car, and drove to the mall. Jack wasn't in the mood for shopping, but he had nothing clean, or ironed, to wear to the hospital this afternoon, so his plan was to grab the first decent shirt he could find and get out of there, before it turned into an ordeal.

Of course his friend didn't understand his impatience; thinking that it was just a way to kill time, he kept forcing Jack to stop every few minutes while he carried out some errand he never seemed to get around to at home. These ranged from the trifling, like buying new shoes for work, to the irritatingly time-consuming, like choosing a birthday his mother, which took them almost two hours, longer than Jack had wanted to spend there.

Three hours after they'd set out, at almost twelve o'clock, Jack had finally managed to get a shirt, and was about to suggest that they meet back at the hotel, when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks, shoving all thoughts of Marc and Sam out of his head.

There, maybe ten yards ahead of him, on the other side of the walkway, was Kate, standing still, like an apparition, as if she were waiting for something. Her hair was longer, and straighter, than it had been the last time he'd seen her, falling almost to her waist, and she looked like she'd put on weight, but still, he would have known her anywhere. She was still beautiful, still Kate.

But the change in her appearance wasn't the biggest surprise. For eleven long months, Jack had dreamt of this moment, of looking up to see her standing in front of him, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw when he tore his gaze away from her face, letting his eyes fall on the object in front of her.

It was a pram, her right hand resting comfortably on the handle, rocking it back and forth while she waited, her own eyes fixed on whatever was inside.

* * *

So Kate has a baby, but how? The test was negative... 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Kate

Standing there, staring at Kate, watching her lean over the pram, Jack felt all of the air leave his lungs.

Kate had a baby.

He wanted to believe that there was an explanation for what he was seeing, one that didn't make her a mother, but seeing the way she lifted it into her arms, kissing its head tenderly as she settled it against her heartbeat, he knew it was hers. He'd watched her with Aaron, on the island, but with this baby, it was different, more intimate; he couldn't explain how, or why, but she looked like a mother holding it.

The baby was a girl, he realised with a pang, registering the pink sleepsuit she'd dressed it in; for eleven months, he'd tried not to dwell on it, but watching them now, he found himself remembering the conversation they'd had in Australia, when they'd agreed that they both wanted a daughter. For a few short days, it had seemed like a possibility, but when Kate had taken the test, on their last night together, it was negative; he hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but he'd seen the blue strip for himself.

And yet Kate had a baby.

Jack was still trying to wrap his head around this idea when he heard Marc's voice behind him, reminding him of his presence. "Jesus Jack, do you think for once, you could take my advice, and fall for a chick with a little less baggage?"

"What?" Jack snapped out of his trance, taking his eyes off Kate and the baby long enough to glance at his friend, afraid for a moment that he'd recognised her.

"You were just checking that girl out," Marc pointed out, dispersing this theory, giving him a disapproving look. "I mean, she's hot and all – hotter once she loses the baby weight – but she has a baby, man, which means she's probably married. And even if she's not – I know you have that whole hero complex, but you don't have to save every woman you meet. It doesn't always have to be this huge commitment."

Taking in his friend's concerned expression, Jack knew he had two choices: he could agree, and walk away, and probably never see Kate, or the baby, again, or he could tell him the truth, at least, part of it. "I wasn't… I wasn't checking her out," he explained, deciding that seeing her was worth the risk of freaking Marc out. "I know her."

Marc gave him a sharp look, as if comprehending what Jack was about to tell him. "You mean you know her like you met her at a party once, or you know her like you were dating?" he checked.

"It was a little more than dating," Jack told him, choking on the next words. "I was in love with her." Am in love with her, he added silently to himself.

Marc's eyes widened as he had an epiphany. "She was that girl from the island."

"I never said anything about a girl from the island," Jack pointed out, confused. They'd never had a single conversation about Kate; aside from the occasional phone call, or visit, from Sawyer, he'd tried to keep that part of his life separate from L.A.

"You didn't have to, man. The last time you disappeared like that, it was because Sarah left you. When you took off again, I figured there must have been another girl on the island, one who screwed you over pretty badly."

Hearing that Marc knew about Kate, or at least, had figured it out, Jack was suddenly able to make sense of the strange behaviour his friend had exhibited towards him over the past eleven months. It wasn't that he was oblivious to his pain; in his own way, Marc had been trying to help him get over Kate. He just didn't realise how impossible a task that was.

Marc let his eyes wander away from Jack, back over to Kate, studying her in closer detail now that she wasn't just some random stranger. "How old would you say that kid was?" he asked after a moment, shifting his attention to the baby.

"Six… eight weeks," Jack answered, his mouth going dry at the estimate.

"And you've been broken up, what, eleven months? Since you got off the island?"

Jack nodded, too overwhelmed to bother correcting him about the status of his relationship with Kate; since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her baby, he'd been trying not to think about the timing, afraid that it wouldn't mean anything, but even more afraid that it would.

"So it's yours," Marc finished, more as a statement, than a question. Seeing Jack's uncertainty he added, "It can't be a coincidence that she just drops kid nine months after you last saw her. Is that why she dumped you, man? Because she didn't want a commitment? Because, somehow, I just can't see you dropping a chick after you got her pregnant."

"I don't know," Jack said, in response to the idea that the baby was his, and that it was the reason Kate had cut ties with him. She knew how much he wanted a child; that was part of the reason she'd left him, because she knew she couldn't give him one, not at that point in time. It made more sense that she was avoiding him because the baby wasn't his, but Jack didn't know how she could have met another man, and gotten pregnant, so fast. "We thought she was pregnant, the last time I saw her," he confessed, deciding to respond to Marc's former statement, because it was the easiest. "But when she took a test, it was negative."

"It couldn't have been wrong?"

"Not unless she'd just conceived," Jack explained absently, flashing back to the argument they'd had the day she left. The last time he'd had unprotected sex with Kate was on the boat, four days before she took the test, so the baby could still have been his. It was ironic, that in all the times they'd been together, they might have conceived a child that afternoon, because it was right after that that she'd told him that they couldn't have one.

"So what are you going to do?"

It was the same question that had been weighing on Jack's mind since he first noticed Kate; with Kevin's words still ringing in his head, he wasn't sure he could approach her, for fear that both Marc and Kevin were right. But he couldn't let her walk away again either, especially not while there was still a chance that her daughter was his daughter too.

After eleven months of planning, Jack was paralysed by indecision, but he didn't have to do anything, in the end, because before he could come up with an answer, Marc had given him a reassuring look, and was striding across the mall, to Kate.

* * *

Hmm... is the baby really Jack's? And if so, why didn't she tell him? He obviously wanted one, so it's not like he was going to freak out... And more importantly, what is Marc going to say to Kate?

At least one of those questions will be answered next chapter...


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for your reviews. I know it's not an original twist, Kate having a baby, but in keeping with the mystery theme, I've got a few ideas that might be. I'm glad you found Marc funny AlwaysDizzy -- I laughed when I wrote that chapter.

* * *

Chapter 10. The Pacifier

Jack felt his stomach clench nervously as he watched Marc approach Kate. He had no idea what his friend was going to say to her, but whatever it was, he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't like it, especially not now that she wasn't just running to protect herself. Marc may have been charming, but Jack had a feeling that she wouldn't welcome his attention, no matter how innocuous it seemed; she'd probably rush off as soon as she could get away, taking any chance Jack had of learning the truth with her.

Kate still hadn't seen him, so Jack ducked back into the store behind him, watching as Marc greeted her, flashing her his most winning smile.

She started, looking up from the baby, her expression wary as she returned his greeting. She shifted the bundle in her arms, dropping something in the process – Jack saw Marc pick it up and shove it was into his pocket – checking her watch, her eyes darting down the corridor, looking for someone to save her, it seemed.

When whoever she was waiting for didn't appear, she returned her attention to Marc, drawing her daughter protectively to her chest as she waited for him to present a motive for approaching them.

Marc said something else, presumably about the baby, and Kate softened, giving him a tight smile. She still didn't look comfortable, but she must have decided that his friend wasn't a threat, because she engaged half-heartedly in the conversation, responding to his questions with short, clipped answers.

All in all, they must have spoken for about five minutes, until glancing surreptitiously over his head, her eyes lit up, spotting whoever it was that she'd been waiting for. Excusing herself, she returned the baby to the pram, hurrying off to meet them; Jack tried to follow her gaze, but the mall was too crowded, and he had no idea who he was looking for.

"So what happened?" he asked when Marc returned to his side, his eyes still on Kate. "What did she say?" He felt a stab jealousy go through him as he surveyed the men around her, wondering if it was one of them that she'd been so happy to see. He was beginning to understand what Kevin must have felt when he saw them together in Bali, knowing he'd been replaced, but not really knowing why. He didn't want to believe what he'd said, but it was beginning to look like he was right, like it really was what Kate did.

"Well," Marc began as they headed off, following at a safe distance behind her, "I said hi, told her her baby was pretty, asked her how old it was, she said seven weeks, so I guess you were right about that."

Jack knew she could have been lying; he'd seen her lie to strangers before, but somehow, this sounded like the truth. "What else? Did you ask her about the father?" he pressed.

"Of course," Marc agreed, grinning, apparently pleased with himself. "When I said her husband must be proud, she corrected me, said she wasn't married. She didn't have a ring, so I said boyfriend then, but she told me that she wasn't seeing anyone, that there was no father." He looked at Jack seriously. "So unless she went out and got herself knocked up right after you guys broke up, I'm thinking the kid is definitely yours, man," he told him sympathetically.

Jack nodded, giving his friend a grateful smile. "Thanks – I don't know what I would have said to her."

"How about asking her if that's the guy she left you for," Marc said, his eyes widening incredulously. Jack followed his gaze back over to Kate to see her talking to an older man with close-cropped grey hair. "I mean, you're what, ten years older than her, but that guy – he's old enough to be her father."

Jack couldn't help but be amused as he took in the man's military uniform. "I think that is her father," he said, relaxing a little now that he knew that while it was true, Kate was out with another guy, he wasn't one Jack needed to fell threatened by. That explained what she was doing in D.C.; she must have been staying with Sam while she got back on her feet. It made Jack feel a little better to know that even if there had been another guy since they'd broken up, they weren't together now.

"So what do we do now?" Marc asked, recovering from his embarrassment at mistaking Kate's father for the father of her baby. Sam wasn't her biological father, so Jack could see how the lack of family resemblance would have thrown him. "Are we going to keep following them?" he gave Jack an enthusiastic grin, apparently enjoying the adventure.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, deciding that for now, that was his best course of action. Once he knew where Sam lived, he would be able to find Kate again when he was ready to talk to her.

Hanging back at a safe distance, they followed Kate and her father out to the car park, making a note of Sam's licence plate, before collecting their own car. It took Sam and Kate longer to get organised, because they had to load the baby into her capsule, and collapse the pram, so by the time Jack pulled the car into the same lot, he and Marc hadn't fallen too far behind.

Keeping a few cars behind Sam's, so that Kate wouldn't recognise them, they tailed it to a residential estate ten minutes drive from the mall. Parking the car behind a few others, halfway down the street, Jack copied the address into his PDA, watching Kate free the baby from her car seat and carry her inside.

When they were gone, he started moodily at the house, wondering what she would do if he went over there and started pounding on the door, demanding to know what was going. He was tempted to throw caution to the wind and try it, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be Kate, but Sam, who opened the door, and that in that state of mind, he wouldn't get very far. Sam was her father; he would be naturally protective of Kate. As frustrating as it was, Jack could understand that, because he was pretty sure that the feelings Sam held towards Kate, were the same ones he was beginning to feel for her baby.

His baby.

He wanted to take care of her, to keep her safe, and make sure that she never left his sight again, but he had to get to the hospital, and more than that, he needed a plan. He couldn't just barge in there yelling, or else Sam would throw him out, and he would never see either of them again.

Marc had been quiet up until then – Jack had almost forgotten he was still there – but sensing Jack's thoughts, he touched his arm lightly. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed, biting back his anger, and forcing himself to take a deep, calming breath.

"I almost forgot – I have something for you," Marc told him, reaching into his pocket, and withdrawing a small, pink object.

A pacifier.

"Your girlfriend dropped it."

Jack took it from him, staring at it for a moment. "You kept this? Why?" he asked, confused. As far as mementoes went, it was pretty insubstantial.

Marc gave him a slightly incredulous look, as if he couldn't believe that Jack hadn't figured that out. "It was in the baby's mouth, which means it has her spit on it," he explained. "I watch all those crime shows – all you need to do is compare it with yours, right? To find out if she's your kid or not? You're going to the hospital now – you can probably sweet-talk them into giving you lab access. It's the best I can do, man," he added, apologetically.

Jack nodded slowly, considering this as he stared at the pacifier. "No, that's good," he said absently, wondering if he could invade Kate's privacy like that.

It was unethical to do a DNA test without the mother's consent; if he were caught running one for someone other than himself, he could lose his licence. And even if he wasn't, even if it was for his own peace of mind, he wasn't sure that the consequences wouldn't be the same.

But as unethical as it was, it was even more unethical for her to lie to him, to keep him from seeing his daughter, if she was in fact his. He had a right to know the truth, and if she wasn't going to give it to him… he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands…

* * *

Hmm... is Jack betray Kate and do the test? Or will he stick to his ethics?

I like that fact that Jack's obsession has shifted from Kate to her baby, because to me, that's more believable under the circumstances... He's pretty angry about her behaviour, but if the baby's his, of course he's going to want to know it regardless of what happens between them. There will be a confrontation though, soon, and an explanation, but Jack needs to know which issue he's confronting her about first: her lying to him or moving on...


	11. Chapter 11

Yay! Reviews! I love reviews!

A lot of you seem to be forgetting that Jack went through and called every number on Sarah's cell phone to find out who she was cheating on him with. He can be surprising unethical when he wants to know something, and no one will tell him... That said, enjoy the update. I promise by the end of it you'll have a concrete answer as to the baby's paternity.

Whether or not it is a Jaby, you're right, Kate has a lot of explaining to do... (By the way, I hope you guys don't think I'm repeating myself by involving Sam, but I really think in a situation like this, she would go to him if she didn't feel like she could talk to Jack. Also, I just love him, and I had a really great idea that I didn't get to incorporate last time, one that is gloriously angsty and fluffy at the same time... That should be in chapter 13...)

* * *

Chapter 11. In The Lab 

Driving back to the hotel to drop off Marc, Jack made up his mind to throw the pacifier away, but when it came time to let go, he found that it wasn't that easy. He needed to know; he couldn't go back to L.A. until he did. If the baby wasn't his, then he could go home, shattered, but still with a clear conscience, but if it was… he would have to find a way to let Kate know that he knew.

Changing his clothes, Jack put the pacifier into a plastic packet, and slid it into the pocket of his suit pants, intending to find the lab at the hospital at the first available opportunity.

This wasn't for some time, not until he'd spent almost two hours talking to the interns; he'd been to preoccupied to prepare anything, so he just let them ask questions, answering them as best as he could with the little package burning a hole in his pocket. Occasionally, a resident, or an attending, would pop in on a break and the questions would start again, until the chief of staff finally let him go with a warm thanks, and an offer to stay for coffee, which he politely declined.

When the chief asked if there was anything else he could do for him, Jack remembered what Kate had taught him about lying, inventing a story about hearing that the hospital had an impressively state of the art lab. Flattered by his interest, the chief smiled and agreed, paging one of the nurses to escort him there so that he could take a look.

The lab was bigger than the one at St. Sebastian's, which unfortunately meant that it also employed more staff. There was no way Jack could sneak around without someone noticing him, so he decided to take a risk, and ask one of the technicians for help.

The one he chose was a young woman, with a sympathetic face; the name on her badge said "Dr. Lucy Oldman." She smiled, looking up from her microscope when he approached her. "You're Dr. Shephard, right?"

"Right," Jack agreed, forcing a smile in return. Given the ethical lines he was about to cross, he would have preferred to remain anonymous, in case he got caught, but that apparently wasn't an option.

Her smile widened as she looked back down at the slide she was working with. "I really wanted to come down and see you, but I couldn't get away." She put the slide back in the tray beside her, comparing it with another. "I know, you're probably thinking I'm just a lab tech – what do I want with surgical knowledge anyway?" Looking up from the microscope again, she flushed with embarrassment, lowering her voice. "I actually applied for a surgical internship, but they turned me down. I have to wait another year before I can reapply, so I thought I'd just take a job here, and save some money in the mean time."

She asked him a few questions about the talk he'd given while she worked, chatting away happily; Jack waited until he thought they'd built up enough of a rapport for him to broach the subject of the DNA test.

"Listen," he said, sliding onto the stool beside hers, and leaning in, during a lull in the conversation, "I don't have access to the lab here, so I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

She lowered her voice to match his, her expression growing suddenly serious. "I'm guessing this favour isn't exactly official?"

"Strictly off the record."

She considered this for a moment, then nodded, waiting for him to continue, so he took out the plastic package and laid it on the bench in front of her. "I was hoping you could get a DNA sample from this, and run a comparison."

"And what would I be comparing it too?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she took the pacifier out in her gloved hand.

"One I'm about to give you."

She pursed her lips, nodding, as if this was what she'd thought. "Does the mother know about this?" she asked, taking out a box of cotton swabs and handing one to him.

"No. That would be why I need you to keep this off the record," he agreed, feeling slightly ashamed at himself for going behind Kate's back like this, but not ashamed enough to stop.

"I shouldn't be doing this," the young lab technician said, taking it back from him once he'd swiped it against the inside of his mouth. "I could lose my job." She put it into a bag and set it down beside the other sample. "But you seem like a nice guy, and you did answer my questions, so I'm going to help you answer yours."

Jack felt his face break out into a smile of relief; he was finally going to learn the truth.

"Give me your cell phone number, and I'll call you when it's done," she said, offering him a pen and a scrap of paper. "Normally it would take a few days, but I think I can probably have the results for you by tomorrow."

"Thanks, that's great," Jack told her, grinning as he scribbled his number of the paper and slid it back to her. "If there's ever anything I can do for you…"

"Actually," she agreed, smiling as she shoved it into the pocket of her lab coat, and for a moment, Jack was afraid that she was going to ask him out on a date, "There is one thing – I'd like to hold onto this, pick your brains occasionally if you wouldn't mind…"

"Sure," he said, returning her smile. "I'd like that."

* * *

Oh uh... what Kate gonna do when she finds out Jack betrayed her right back? Remember she started this, I hope... 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Sam

After he left the hospital, Jack drove back to Sam's house, parking across the street. He didn't know how long he sat there staring at it, waiting for a glimpse of either of them, but when he returned to his room, it was dark.

"So I guess you're not coming back to L.A. with me tomorrow?" Marc said at dinner, watching him sit for an hour without touching his food.

Jack shook his head, too despondent to answer. Right now, all he cared about was getting that phone call, the one that would tell him whether or not he had a daughter.

He returned to the house later that night, and again the next day, after Marc had left for the airport, waiting for his cell to ring.

When it did, late the next afternoon, he snapped it up off the passenger seat, answering it without even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Dr. Shephard?" came the familiar voice. "It's Lucy, Lucy Oldman from the hospital?"

"Thanks for getting back to me so quickly," he said, impressed at her expediency in carrying out his request. She was a nice girl; when all this was over, he would have to find a way to help her achieve her dream of becoming a surgeon.

"I just got the results back for that test you ordered," she said meaningfully, leaving him to conclude that she wasn't alone.

"And?" he prompted, feeling his stomach tighten.

"And," she lowered her voice, "There were a couple of procedures I couldn't do without authorisation, but it was a match. She's definitely your daughter."

Jack felt tears sting his eyes at this news, half relief, half devestation: he had a daughter, a daughter he'd never been allowed to meet. He wondered if Kate knew this, that her baby was without a shadow of a doubt his.

"Thank you," he managed to choke out, rubbing his eyes; he heard Lucy pause of the other end, as if she wanted to say something else, something reassuring, but seeming to think better of it, she said her goodbyes, and hung up.

He threw the cell phone back onto the seat, pounding the steering wheel with the palm of his hand in his frustration. He was in half a mind to leap out of the car and confront Kate right then, to demand an explanation for her secrecy, when he heard a knock on the window, startling him out of his thoughts.

Looking up, he saw Sam Austen standing outside the car, glaring down at him, still in his military uniform, as if he'd just returned from work. Jack could see his own vehicle in the driveway behind him.

"Who are you?" Sam asked when Jack rolled the window down. "You were here yesterday when I got home from work, and you're here again now. I have a good mind to call the police."

"I don't think you want to do that," Jack returned, refusing to be intimidated by this man. He wasn't in the wrong here.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Sam repeated, growing increasingly agitated.

Realising that it wasn't Kate's father that he wanted to pick a fight with, Jack sighed. "My name is Jack Shephard – I know your daughter." He saw Sam tense, so he added quickly, "I'm not a cop – I just want to talk to her."

Sam stared at him for a moment, apparently searching his face for some sign of insincerity. "You're the baby's father," he said finally, his expression softening. "I should have realised – she has your eyes."

This comment caught Jack off guard. "Really?" he asked. Since he'd first seen his daughter in the mall, he'd imagined that they were green, Kate's green.

"Yeah. She's a beautiful little girl."

Jack felt his anger returning at this. "I wouldn't know." His daughter was seven weeks old, and he'd had to be told what colour her eyes were.

Sam gave him a sad smile. "She's stubborn, you have to give her that," he said.

"I want to see her," Jack told him, ignoring this. He wasn't really in the mood to reminisce about Kate.

"I can talk to her, but something tells me she doesn't want to see you."

"Not Kate, the baby," Jack insisted, the words coming out more aggressively than he'd planned. When Sam hesitated, he decided to use what little he knew of their relationship against him by adding. "Your ex-wife tried to stop you from seeing Kate when she was little, right?"

Sam nodded. Seeming to sense the hypocrisy of his defence, he sighed, explaining, "I just got my daughter back, Jack – I don't want to lose her again over something like this."

"I don't want to lose my daughter either," Jack pressed, determined to get him on side. Seeing the man's eyes soften, he added, "If you won't let me in, then could you please just talk to her? I just want to see my daughter."

Sam closed his eyes for a moment, thinking this over, then opened them again, admitting defeat. "I'll talk to her," he agreed, "for all the good it will do. If that doesn't work, maybe we can figure something out."

* * *

Just so you know, next chapter, Jack will meet his daughter, with or without Kate's approval... 


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad you're all happy about the Jaby. I know I promised Jack would meet her this chapter, but I've bumped that back to 14, because I felt the Sawyer situation needed resolving. He needed to know that Kate was okay too. And don't worry, Jack hasn't forgotten her -- they'll be coming face to face soon...

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Chapter 13. How Is She?

Now that Sam knew he'd been watching the house, Jack had choice but to go back to the hotel and wait for his call. He wasn't holding out much hope, though; something told him that if things were that simple, Kate would have contacted him a long time ago. The fact that she hadn't told him that either Kevin was right, and she was running from him too now, or that she had some other less hurtful, but equally frustrating reason for keeping him in the dark.

He was too antsy to eat dinner, so he went straight to his room; he thought about taking a shower, but he didn't want to risk missing Sam's call, so, in the end, he decided to use the hotel line to make a call of his own.

Sawyer.

It wasn't a conversation Jack really wanted to have, but after all of the southerner's help in locating Kate, he thought he owed it to him to let him know that he'd finally found her.

"Freckles is in D.C.?" he said when Jack explained about the sighting in the mall, leaving out the part about the baby. "What the hell is she doing there? I wouldn'ta figured her for the political type."

"Her father has a house here – she's been hiding out there."

Sawyer's tone changed, softening, as he asked, "How is she?"

"She's okay, I think," Jack told him, realising he had no idea. She was alive, and she wasn't in jail, but other than that… he thought she'd looked happy when he saw her yesterday, and healthy – she'd put on weight during her pregnancy, which was a good thing, for her and the baby – she had a roof over her head, her father for support… all in all, things could have been a lot worse for her.

"You think?" Sawyer repeated, incredulously. "What, you didn't talk to her?"

Jack closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and answered slowly. "No."

"Why the hell not? You've been climbin' the walls, waiting for her to pick up the phone for a year, and now that you have an address, you're suddenly over her?"

"It's just… complicated," Jack told him, wishing Sam would hurry up and call so that he could hang up the phone. He didn't want to go there with Sawyer; not now, not ever.

"Don't give me that "complicated" B.S.," Sawyer snapped; Jack could tell he was getting agitated at being given the run around. "She in some kind of trouble?"

"Aside from the usual? No." Jack hesitated, then sighed, rushing on. "She… she had a baby. Seven weeks ago, right before she disappeared."

"Freckles has a kid?"

"Yeah."

Sawyer was silent for a moment, doing the math. Jack could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. "It yours?" he said finally.

"Yeah," Jack agreed again, deciding that it would be best not to tell him how he knew this. "She's mine." He felt like he should say something more, so he added, "I don't know what Kate called her – I haven't seen them since the mall."

There was another pause, then Sawyer said, "Well, I guess congratulations are in order, Daddy – shoulda brought you a cigar when I was in town." Even though the words were glib, they were laced with an unmistakable hint of jealousy. "Guess you two'll be tying the knot now, huh?"

"I don't know – I only just found out about all of this," Jack confessed. He didn't even know if Kate wanted to see him yet. "We really haven't talked about it."

He desperately wanted to get out of this conversation; by the heavy silences on Sawyer's end, he could tell the southerner did too. It was beyond awkward at that point. "Listen, I'm expecting a call, so…"

"I gotta go anyway," Sawyer agreed, his relief at being released from the conversation palpable. "Guess I'll see you around then, Doc – give Freckles my best."

Jack wasn't sure, but he thought the southerner sounded a little sad at the turn their relationship had taken. As much as he'd come to respect Sawyer over the past few months, it was difficult to imagine staying in contact with him now that they no longer had the common ground of Kate's absence. "I'll do that," he told him. "Bye Sawyer."

"Adios."

There was a click, and then the line went dead.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. Trouble

Jack didn't hear from Sam again until the following morning.

"What did she say?" he asked as soon as he picked up the phone, forgoing the pleasantries in his eagerness to know where he stood with Kate.

"She didn't." Sam sighed. "I tried to talk to her, Jack, but she's been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. I've hardly been able to get a word out of her since she showed up on my doorstep six weeks ago. Anyone would think that baby was immaculately conceived."

Jack let out the breath he was holding. "So that's it?" he asked, fighting back his disappointment. "I just go back to L.A. and pretend that none of this ever happened?"

"No," Sam said, sighing again. "I've tried that – it doesn't work." He lowered his voice; Jack could hear muffled sounds in the background. Kate must have come into the room, he realised with a pang; he heard her say something to Sam, then various kitchen noises, then the baby crying upstairs. Sam waited until Kate left to check on her daughter to add, "I told you I'd think of something else if I couldn't get Katie to invite you here on her own, so what are you doing around five?"

"Nothing," Jack told him quickly, wondering what he had in mind.

"I get home around then, so I usually take the baby for an hour or so before dinner, while she goes for a walk," he explained. "It gives her a chance to get out of the house on her own for a while, and lose some of the weight she's put on. You could come over then, if you want."

Jack felt a stab of guilt at the idea, but this was quickly overcome by curiosity, and the desire to see his daughter up close. He wondered if she really did have his eyes. "Five o'clock," he repeated, feeling his face break into a grin in spite of the ridiculousness of the situation.

It took all of his willpower, but he managed to refrain from driving over there until a quarter to, parking in his usual spot.

He watched Sam pull up, and Kate leave a few minutes later on foot, looking even more beautiful than he remembered in jeans and a loose maternity top. Motherhood seemed to suit her; he'd first noticed that at the mall. She had this peace about her now, that made her seem older, and less damaged, than when he'd know her, as if it had forced her to let go of a lot of her baggage.

He waited until she disappeared around the corner to get out of the car, taking a deep, calming breath as he crossed the road to Sam's door. He felt suddenly nervous, afraid that the baby wouldn't respond to him, that he wouldn't respond to her, that they wouldn't share the same connection she seemed to have with Kate. He'd wanted her since before she was even conceived, it seemed, but his relationship with his own father had been so complicated that he was finding it hard to imagine that things would be any different from the other side.

Sam must have been waiting for him, because he let Jack in before he even had a chance to knock, sticking his head out the door to make sure Kate hadn't returned before he closed it behind them.

"The baby's upstairs, in Katie's room," he said, leading the way up the narrow staircase to the second storey landing.

The wall was lined with enlargements of old photos; Jack could see pictures of Kate at various ages hunting, fishing, camping, crawling, riding her bike, on the first day of school, meeting Santa, at friends' weddings… "She looks a lot like Katie already," Sam said, following his gaze to the photos. "But now that I've met you, I can see a lot of you in there too."

Jack followed him to a door at the end of the hall; it was slightly ajar. Sam pushed it open the rest of the way; Jack felt his heart speed up at the sight of a white wicker bassinette over by the window, the curtains drawn behind it to block out the sun.

"I'll give you some privacy," Sam told him, leaving the room. As he pulled the door closed behind him, he stuck his head back in, adding, "You've got about an hour. You can come again tomorrow, but I want you gone before Katie gets back. I don't want any trouble."

Jack nodded, barely registering what he'd said, his eyes transfixed on the bassinette. He waited until the door clicked shut, then crept timidly over to it, his breath catching in his throat as he pushed back the mosquito net and peered inside.

The baby was sprawled on her back at the bottom, her tiny arms thrown over her head as if she'd fallen asleep in the process of stretching. Sitting down on the edge of Kate's bed to watch her, Jack saw her move her lips slightly, her brow furrowing in concentration as she stirred, drawing her arms over her face, and down to her sides. She wasn't coordinated, or conscious, enough to move part of her body without the rest yet, so she kicked her legs out too as she squirmed on the mattress, freeing herself from her blanket. Jack carefully replaced it, tucking her in tightly so that she wouldn't be able to turn herself over.

Ever since that day on the boat, when Kate told him she might be pregnant, he'd been trying to picture their child, but she seeing her now, he decided that she was more awe-inspiring than anything he could have imagined. Overcome by the need to touch her, to make sure that she was real, he reached down and took one of her miniature hands in his, laughing softly when she curled it around his index finger without waking up. He tried to take it back from her, peeling back each of her delicate fingers, but she closed her hand more firmly against this, clinging to him with surprising tenacity.

"I don't want to let go of you again either," he told her, grinning when she squeezed a little tighter, as if in response. Logic told him that it was just a reflex, that she was too young to know what she was doing, but even so, a little part of him wanted to believe that she knew him, or at least, knew who he was. He wanted what Kate had; he wanted that connection. He didn't want her to forget him the moment he left.

He must have watched her for thirty minutes before he summoned the courage to free himself, withdrawing his hand, and lifting her carefully into his arms so he didn't disturb her. He hadn't been able to see her eyes yet, so he couldn't vouch for them being his, but he could see a lot of Kate in her, like Sam said, not the least of all in the fuzzy, chocolate coloured curls that had already begun to sprout from the top of her head.

Pressing his lips to them gently, he took in her clean, powdered baby scent, settling her against his chest so that he could watch her more closely. He hadn't been there the first time she opened her eyes, or in the seven weeks after that, but he wanted to be there this time, to see them, and to let her see him.

He was so caught up in watching her, that he didn't hear the door open when his hour was almost up.

"You'd better go," he heard Sam's voice say, drawing his attention away from her for the first time since he'd entered the room. "Katie'll be back any minute, and I don't want her finding out I let you come here behind her back."

He reached for the baby, but Jack drew her closer to his chest, refusing to give her up yet. "I'm her father – I should be able to stay as long as I want," he protested. He felt guilty, mutinying against Sam when the old man was doing him a favour, but not guilty enough to leave without at least seeing his daughter awake. He didn't care if Kate found out he'd been there; at least then they could both stop sneaking around.

Sam let his arms fall back to his sides, giving Jack a hard look. "I told you when I let you in – I don't want any trouble. Whatever's going on between you and my daughter is for you to sort out – I won't be put in the middle of it, and I won't let you put that baby in the middle of it either."

Jack was about to open his mouth to tell him that in order for them to reach any sort of agreement, Kate would have to talk to him first, when he heard the front door creak open.

Speak of the devil…

A second later, he heard light footsteps on the stairs. "Dad?" Kate's voice called, softer and more childish then Jack remembered it. "Daddy?"

It was strange, knowing that she was so close after all this time; Jack felt his heart begin to palpitate wildly, not from fear, but nerves. It had been so long since he'd seen her, since he'd talked to her, and so much had happened; he wondered if things could ever be the same between them.

He wondered if he could forgive her.

Sam looked from him, to the baby, still in his arms, closing the door behind him as he went to meet her. "Hi honey, you're back earlier than I expected," Jack heard him say.

"It looked like it might rain, so I thought I'd come back, check on the baby," she explained, closer now. "Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah." Sam sounded nervous; Jack knew it wouldn't take Kate long to figure out that something was wrong. "Still out like a light." She must have made a move to pass him, because he added, "No need to go up there and disturb her."

"I'm not going to disturb her," she protested; Jack could hear the frown in her voice. "I just want to look in on her, make sure she's okay." Her voice took on a concerned note that Jack couldn't help finding endearing, even in his anger, as she added, "She rolls onto her stomach sometimes, and I heard that's not good for them…"

"She's fine," Sam cut in, a little too abruptly.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Jack could still picture the way her eyes narrowed when something alerted her suspicions. It was over now; there was no way she was leaving without at least poking her head in. "Why don't you want me to go up there?"

She didn't wait for him to answer; Jack heard her footsteps on the landing as she stormed over to the door, flinging it open. He didn't bother trying to conceal himself, standing up, the baby stirring in his arms at the commotion around her.

Kate's eyes widened when, stepping into the room, she saw them together, the colour draining from her face. "Jack?"

* * *

Uh oh... this could get pretty ugly... ;) Poor Sam... 


	15. Chapter 15

The alerts aren't working again…

I'm glad you all liked seeing Jack and the baby together – maybe I'll even include Kate next time. How's that for sweet…

Don't worry – she did not fall out of love with him. What kind of story do you think I'm writing…? ;)

* * *

Chapter 15. Confessions

Kate froze in the doorway, staring at Jack for a long moment. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something more, but baulked, averting her eyes to the carpet, apparently ashamed at having her deception discovered.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing here?" Jack prompted, expecting her to get angry, but she shook her head, tears springing to her eyes.

"You found me – us," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she added, "I knew you would."

From the moment he spotted her at the mall, Jack had been preparing himself for a heated confrontation, but seeing her so wretched and guilty, he felt his heart soften towards her.

"Of course I did, Kate – I told you I would, didn't I?" he said, lowering his own voice, but it was too late; the baby was awake now, squirming in his arms. He transferred her to his shoulder, trying to get her to settle, but seeming to pick up on the tension in the room, she stopped fussing and started to wail, flailing her arms and legs so violently that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold onto her.

Her maternal instincts overriding her timidity, Kate crossed to his side, holding out her arms, but Sam followed her into the room, taking the baby from Jack before she could reach her.

"You think either of you is any good to her like that?" he said sternly, settling her against his chest as he made his way to the door. He jiggled her gently up and down as he walked, and gradually, she stopped moving, making soft, gurgling sounds as she drooled contentedly down the front of his uniform.

Jack and Kate both stared at him, stunned, as he paused in the doorway, adding, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going downstairs to start dinner, and I'm taking this little one with me. You can have her back when you've sorted yourselves out."

He gave them a hard, no-nonsense look, pulling the door closed behind him before either of them could protest, leaving them alone for the first time in eleven months.

"Should we do something?" Jack asked, staring helplessly after him.

Kate shook her head, her lips quirking slightly with amusement. "He was a Ranger before he retired – he could probably still take you if he wanted." Her expression grew serious again as she added, "She'll be fine – he's good with her. Better than me, sometimes, I think."

She looked at him again; seeming to remember why he was there, she sank down to the spot on the bed he'd just vacated, her gaze fixed on the empty bassinette. "When we started talking about having a baby, I swore I was going to be a better mother than my mom was to me." She let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh, her eyes tearing up again. "I'm not really living up to my end of the bargain, am I?"

She looked so sad and defeated that Jack felt his heart melt a little more; he lowered himself down beside her, reaching out impulsively for her hand, but she pulled it away, drawing her arms defensively across her chest.

"I never meant for you to find out this way," she told him, lifting her eyes from the bassinette to look at him imploringly through her tears. "I was going to tell you, but it was never the right time."

"What do you mean it was never the right time, Kate?" he asked, trying to understand this. "It wasn't the right time a year ago either, but I told you I wanted a baby – I don't know how much more explicit I could have been about that."

"I wasn't afraid you wouldn't want her," she corrected him, staring back down at the carpet. "I knew you would – that's why I didn't tell you. The Feds were still watching you when I called – I knew if you found out the test was wrong, that I really was pregnant, you wouldn't be able to stay away. You'd lead them straight to us, and then they'd know you were lying when you said you weren't helping me, and we'd both get caught. So I kept putting it off, waiting for things to settle down, and then, before I knew it, she was here, and I couldn't tell you because I knew how much it would hurt you…"

She stopped trying to hold back her tears, sobbing in earnest as she added, "I know it's not fair, you being shut out of this when it was all my fault – you have no idea how much I wish I'd listened to you, instead of trying to save you, instead of making that phone call, but I really thought… it was blue… I didn't know this was going to happen…"

She'd stopped fighting him, so Jack pulled her into his arms, holding her while she cried, his own eyes begin to tear up. "I didn't know what to do," she sobbed into his shoulder, her tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt. "I'm sorry, I wish I could take it all back – I love you…"

"It's okay," he murmured, kissing the top of her head gently, the last of his anger evaporating as he heard these words. Kevin was wrong; she did love him. She hadn't stayed away because she didn't.

Wrapping his arms more tightly around her, he laid his cheek against her now straight hair, waiting for her to exhaust herself so that he could get the rest of the story out of her.

When she composed herself enough to speak again, she lifted her face, laying her head against his shoulder, as she said, "I almost called you when I went into labour. I was alone in New York, living in this crappy one room apartment, and I freaked out – I thought I was going to have to deliver the baby myself, but this old woman who lived across the hall, she took me to the hospital, and she stayed with me the whole time. I was so scared – I thought they were going to figure out who I was, but she told them I was her granddaughter, and no one questioned it.

"I wanted you so much – when she asked me if there was anyone she could call, I nearly gave her your number, but I still wasn't sure it was safe, and I didn't want you to worry…"

Fresh tears sprung to her eyes; Jack brushed them away with his thumb, looking down at her seriously. "I don't agree with it, but I get why you didn't tell me about the baby – what I don't get is why you stopped using the card I sent you. Do you have any idea how I felt when you disappeared like that? I thought you were dead or in prison. I called everyone I could think of – even Kevin."

Kate's eyes widened, mirroring the incredulous look Sawyer had given Jack when he told him they'd spoken. "You called Kevin?"

"Yeah, Kate, I did, and you know what he said?" She looked nervous, but he decided to press on anyway. "He accused you of pulling the same stunt on me that you did on him."

Her face crumpled, the look of shame returning, and for a moment he thought she was going to cry again. "Jack, I– the card– I knew you'd be watching it—"

"It's okay, I know," he told her softly. "But I didn't. When I saw you and the baby at the mall I thought…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

Her shame turned to mortification as she picked up the innuendo. "Jack, I know what that test said, but I haven't… I didn't…"

He nodded. "I know." It was his turn to confess, so he took a deep breath, looking up at her as he explained, "That guy at the mall, he was a friend of mine, Marc – I didn't ask him to interrogate you, but when I told him about us… You were in such a hurry to get away from him, you dropped the baby's pacifier. He gave it to me – I was going to throw it away, but I needed to know, so I…" he closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself, then opened them, continuing, "I took it to the lab, and I got them to run some tests…"

She'd pulled away from him while he was speaking, and was staring at him, wounded, so he added, "I'm sorry, Kate, I should have trusted you…"

Kate shook her head, staring down at her lap; Jack thought that that was it, that he'd lost any chance he might have had of reconciling with her, but when she looked up at him again, her eyes were sad, but free of anger. "Why?" she said, letting out a deep, shuddering sigh. "It's not like I gave you a reason to."

Jack had been so filled with dread at the idea of telling her about the DNA test that he couldn't help but laugh. "Some parents we are, huh? No wonder your dad kidnapped our baby."

Kate cracked a little smile at this, leaning back into his side. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah." He didn't try to conceal the goofy grin that spread over his face at the thought of his daughter. Their daughter. "Just like her mom."

Kate's smile broke into a full-fledged grin as she lifted her face to graze his lips. "I missed you," she murmured, pulling back to settle her forehead against his.

"I missed you too."

Jack sat there staring into her eyes for a moment, revelling in the feeling of being with her again, until a question came to him, one that had been plaguing him for the past few days. "She's seven weeks old, right?"

"Seven weeks and two days – born September twenty second," she told him with a grin. "It was almost the twenty third, but she got here about five minutes before midnight."

Jack shared her grin as he registered this. If there was ever a sign that he should believe in destiny, his daughter's birth date was probably it. "So you must have named her by now?"

Kate nodded, her expression turning shy. "Isobelle. I remembered you saying you liked it, so when she was born, and I saw her, and it just seemed to fit, I figured it was what you would have wanted."

Jack could feel himself getting emotional again; Kate must have noticed this, because she took his hand, squeezing it as she went on, laughing, "We call her Izzy for short – she was practically bald when I brought her here, but a few weeks ago, she started getting all that hair, so my dad calls her Frizzy Izzy sometimes now. He says he's going to remind her of it when she's older just to piss her off."

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter (and Sam! I thought it would be funny, him treating them like children) – I wanted to redeem Kate a bit by showing that it wasn't an easy decision, that she's not proud of shutting Jack out, but she was alone, and scared, and she honestly did think it was the right thing to do at the time.

I know, September 22nd is not an original birth date for a Jaby, but the timing was so perfect… And as for her name, I was going to have Sam use it earlier, but I thought Kate should be the one to tell him…

Next chapter, they will rescue the baby from Sam, and spend some quality time as a family, during which Jack will finally see her awake, and not cranky… And of course, they'll have to start figuring out what they're going to do...


	16. Chapter 16

I'm glad you all liked the chapter, and the name -- Isobelle's my favourite girl's name ever. And Sam, well I think he was irritated with being in the middle of something he didn't understand, so he wasn't impressed with either of them, or their behaviour towards each other. It's always amusing to see great, tragic romances from an outside perspective... Were you born on September 22, Louanna? That's pretty awesome, better than my random birthdate...

How do you know they're getting reunited, gia? Is that in the Locke episode? Or the Nikki and Paolo one? Or the Kate one? And does it seem favourable for us? We're just getting up to all the Skate stuff here, so I need to hear that there's light at the end of the tunnel... All the Skate stories on this site aren't helping -- remember the good old days when everything was about Jack and Kate? ;)

If you guys have any ideas for what you'd like to see, let me know... I actually want to borrow an idea you had a while ago, while I was writing The Edge of the Ocean, NYR88, if you don't mind...

* * *

Chapter 16. Moments 

When Jack and Kate went down to the kitchen a while later, Sam was stirring a saucepan on the stove, chatting to the baby, who was strapped into her capsule on the counter. "Still both in one piece, I see," he said, looking up at them briefly. "I'm almost done here if you want to stay for dinner, Jack."

"Of course he does," Kate answered for him, going over to reclaim her baby. "Hey, little girl," she cooed softly as she loosened the restraints, lifting her against her chest, and nuzzling the top of her head. "You wanna meet Daddy now that you're awake?"

The baby just stared at her; Kate looked up at Jack questioningly, offering their daughter to him.

"Should I sit down or something?" he asked nervously, still a little anxious about holding her now that she was awake.

"Not unless you plan on dropping her," Kate told him with a laugh, easing the baby into his arms.

She was so soft and malleable that she went without a fight, lying docilely against his chest once she was settled. Looking down at her, Jack saw that Sam was right; she did have his eyes, at least in terms of colouring. They were big, and deep brown, watching him curiously as he carried her out into the living room. He kept his own eyes on them as he manoeuvred his way into an armchair, vaguely aware that Kate had left the room, calling for him not to move.

Not that he had any intention of it.

Watching her watch him, Jack was surprised at how mellow the baby was, considering that, to her, he was a stranger. She didn't cry, or fuss, even though Kate was gone; he was amazed that two people as highly strung as Kate and himself could produce a child this placid, especially given the circumstances of her conception and birth. She seemed to have come into the world oblivious to the complications her existence caused; if he could do anything about it, Jack was determined to make sure his daughter stayed that way.

He was pulled from his reverie by a blinding flash, looking up, blinking, to see Kate grinning at him over the top of a digital camera.

"You looked so sweet," she said by way of explanation, snapping another picture before he could protest. "Daddy already took tons of me. I look terrible in most of them, but Izzy's extremely photogenic – the first week we were here, I took so many of her that we actually had to go out a buy a new memory stick. I'll show them to you after dinner if you want."

She was beaming with maternal pride; Jack still found the situation surreal, but he decided he liked this new side of her. He'd never seen her smile like that before; she looked happy. "Sure – I'd love that."

* * *

After dinner, while Sam read the paper in the kitchen, they settled themselves on the couch, Jack with the baby in his lap again, and Kate with the box of photos she'd been collecting. 

"These ones are from when she was about a week old," she told him, retrieving a handful of pictures from the bottom. "I'm sorry I don't have any from the day she was born – I was so preoccupied at the hospital I didn't think of it."

Jack shifted the baby so that he could deposit the pictures into his lap. He took one off the top of the pile, one Sam must have taken without her knowledge; it was of Kate, asleep on her back in the spot they now occupied, the baby splayed out on her chest, also asleep. The late afternoon sun shone in through the curtains, casting a soft, golden light over both of them.

It was such a sweet, irreplaceable moment; seeing it now, Jack wished he could have been the one to come home from work and find them like that, but it was a moment he would never have. Each of these pictures represented one of those moments, a moment he would never share with them.

Kate smiled when she saw the picture he was holding. "I think that one's my favourite," she told him. "You can keep it if you want – we have copies of them on disc..." she trailed off, suddenly uncomfortable at the implication of her words.

Jack tore his gaze away from the picture, putting it back in the pile, afraid that by taking it, he was admitting that he wouldn't be there to see the real thing. They still had a lot to sort out, but he wasn't going to let Kate make any more decisions for him, not when she didn't have the strongest track record in that department.

"What did you do with the boat?" he asked, picking up another photo, this one of Izzy being bathed in the kitchen sink. She seemed to be enjoying it; she actually looked kind of awake, unlike in most of the early pictures.

"I sold it for cash in San Diego," Kate told him, avoiding his eyes as she sifted through another pile of photos.

Jack let the picture fall back into his lap, putting out a hand to stop her, so that she was forced to look at him. "How did it get to San Diego?" he pressed, not really liking where this was headed.

"I might have sailed it there," she said, biting her lip.

"By yourself?"

"In a manner of speaking. Izzy was there, but she wasn't a lot of help," she added lamely.

Jack felt his eyes widen incredulously. "You sailed the boat all the way back here, alone, while you were pregnant?"

"Yeah." She licked her lips, her expression guilty as she looked at their daughter, lounging sluggishly in the crook of Jack's elbow, now that the immediate excitement of meeting her father was over.

"I don't need to tell you how many ways that could've gone wrong."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a lot of choices," Kate told him, her voice growing defensive. "I couldn't exactly hop on a plane, and I couldn't get work on another boat because I was showing by then, so I figured it was my only option. I didn't want to have the baby in Australia, so far away from you… It doesn't really matter does it? I'm fine, she's fine – nothing happened."

"No, I guess not," Jack said, letting go of his anger. He never would have allowed her to do it if he'd known, but she was right, they were both safe now.

"Why did you ask about the boat?" Kate asked, backtracking the conversation, shifting the focus back onto him. "You're not thinking we should go back on the run, are you? Because I meant what we said the last time we talked about this – we can't raise a baby that way."

Jack sighed, looking down at their daughter as she opened her mouth in a tiny, delicate yawn. "I know – she needs some sort of stability," he agreed, watching her snuggle into him and drift off to sleep. "Which includes having both parents in her life," he added, unwilling to negotiate on that point.

Kate put the box of pictures on the table, leaning over to kiss their baby goodnight. "I want that too," she said sadly. Instead of straightening up, she settled into his other side. He wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her closer so that her head rested against his shoulder. "I just don't know how we're going to do it."

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	17. Chapter 17

It's actually happy Lost Thursday where I am! We get the show on Thursday nights, a few hours after you guys in the US do, although it's always behind (eg. Every Man For Himself tonight, so we've still got to suffer through all the Skate stuff…)

Just a short chapter today, but it's a fluffy one, so that should win me some points ;). I am actually thinking of including Margo this time, because it's something I've always wanted to do, but never gotten around to. I always have them planning to go to L.A., but they never seem to actually get there. They won't stay long though, just long enough for Jack to tie up some lose ends…

I've actually read that quote over on spoilerfix, gia – I didn't realise that that was what you were talking about. I'm with you on the "hug of all hugs" thing (you've obviously read the script for The Moth…) – I'd like to say that she'll kiss him again, but I think the whole business with Sawyer might complicate that. Plus the fact that he made a deal with the devil so to speak…

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Chapter 17. Contentment

It was late by the time they finished looking at the photos. Jack hadn't been able to bring himself to part with the baby, so she was still asleep in his arms, having woken only once, to be fed. They were both yawning, in danger of joining her, so Jack followed Kate upstairs to her room, laying Isobelle gently in the bassinette, while Kate tucked her in.

Once the baby was down, and they'd both kissed her goodnight, he found himself hovering in the doorway, tired, but reluctant to go. They hadn't had a chance to talk about their relationship, so he still didn't know what to expect; she still loved him, and she wanted him in their daughter's life, but did that really mean that they were back together?

"You don't have to go back to the hotel tonight," Kate told him softly, seeming to sense his dilemma. "You could stay here with us."

"What about your dad?" he asked carefully, taking a step back into the room. He didn't really want to spend another lonely night at the hotel, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome either.

"We're not in high school, Jack," she said with an amused grin, pulling the mosquito net down over the bassinette. "I think he knows we've slept together, in pretty much every sense." Her eyes wandered from him, to their daughter, as if to emphasise her point.

Jack laughed, embarrassed that she seemed to think he was being old-fashioned. "I just don't want to do anything to make him uncomfortable," he explained, hoping that she would understand his need to make a favourable impression on her father. After being caught stalking Kate, and spying on her and her family, he didn't want to do anything else that Sam might disapprove of.

"It won't make him uncomfortable – he told me you could stay right before he went to bed," Kate explained, her grin turning wicked as she added, "Besides, she's half your fault." She nodded at the bassinette. "If I'm going to have to keep waking up every four hours, so are you. When you've only had three hours' sleep, we'll see how perfect you think the little monster is – she can be pretty demanding when she wants something."

"So it's like being on call then," he shot back, wanting her to see how ready he was for this, less than fun parts and all. He found himself returning her grin, oddly enthused about the prospect of assimilating himself into their routine. The last time he and Kate were together like this, he'd psyched himself into having a baby with her so completely that it was disappointing to go back to his pre-island life alone. He'd never really adjusted, so it was less of an adjustment than he would have thought to switch back into that mindset, especially now that he'd met the child in question.

Once it was agreed that he would stay the night, Kate squeezed past him, into the hallway, returning a few minutes later in her pyjamas. Jack couldn't help but notice that she still seemed a little self-conscious around him, though whether it was because of the time they'd spent apart, or the fact that her body was still recovering from giving birth, he couldn't tell. Just in case it was the latter, he made up his mind to tell her how beautiful she was some time soon.

He didn't have anything to sleep in, so he peeled off his jeans, climbing into bed in his t-shirt and boxers. Still unsure of the protocol, he waited for her to make the first move, relieved when she settled against his side, laying her head on his chest, and wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm glad you came," she said after a moment, her voice already thick with sleep.

"Me too," he agreed, kissing the top of her head where it rested beneath his chin. "I love you – both of you."

"I love you too," she returned, her words slurred so that they came out as little more than a tired mumble.

With Kate asleep in his arms, and his beautiful new daughter just a few feet away, Jack couldn't remember the last time he felt this content; he kissed Kate again, shifting her a little closer to him in her flaccid state, the even sound of her breathing filling his ears, mingling with Isobelle's tiny, snuffling sighs.


	18. Chapter 18

I'm glad you all enjoyed the fluff in the last chapter, because reality is about to set in...

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Chapter 18. You Have To Go Back

The first thing Jack noticed when he woke the next morning was that he was alone; the room was silent and empty, Kate and Izzy no longer in their beds. It was just after eight, so he pulled on his jeans, and stepped out into the hallway, listening for signs of life. He could hear Sam in his room, but nothing else, so he headed downstairs, stopping when he reached the door to the kitchen.

Kate was inside, at the table, sitting with the baby in her lap, talking to her softly as she fed her. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but whatever it was, he knew it wasn't meant for his ears, so he decided to leave them alone a while longer.

He was still a little groggy, so he went back upstairs to splash his face, running into Sam on coming out of the bathroom.

"Sleep well?" the old man said, his eyes twinkling with amusement; Jack stared at him, wondering at the insinuation, until he added, "That was actually a good night for her – she must've been on her best behaviour for you."

Jack grinned when he realised that Sam was talking about the baby. She'd only woken them twice after they put her down for the night, once around two, and again just before five. "That was nothing," he said, still too happy to feign being put out; if anything, it had enabled him to spend more time with both her and Kate. "She's much nicer to wake up to than a bunch of messed up college kids who thought it would be "neat" to get wasted and jump off a pier."

"Can't say I've had that experience, but I know what you mean," Sam agreed, returning his smile. "It's going to be awfully quiet around here when she's gone." His smile faltered, but before Jack could ask him what he meant by this, the old man glanced at his watch, clapping him on the shoulder. "I've got to hustle, but feel free to stay as long as you want. It means a lot to Katie, having you here."

He moved past Jack, heading downstairs; Jack heard Kate call out to him on his way out the door, so he figured it was safe to disturb her.

She was making coffee when he entered the kitchen, the baby strapped into her capsule to free up her hands. Jack rescued his daughter from her confinement, settling her against his shoulder as he went to greet Kate, surprised when she intercepted the peck he aimed at her cheek, letting her lips linger on his.

"Morning," she said, grinning at him when she pulled back.

He was pretty sure his smile mirrored hers as he answered, "Morning."

She turned back to the bench nonchalantly, finishing up, handing one of the mugs to him when she was done. "Do you have to work today? Or do we have you all to ourselves?"

Jack felt his smile widen as he eased himself into one of the chairs, shifting Izzy into the crook of his elbow so that he could take a sip of his coffee. "No, I'm taking another personal day, so I'm all yours."

"That's what we like to hear, isn't it, Izzy?" she cooed, leaning over to tickle the baby's belly as she pulled up the chair next to his. "So what do you want to do? We could take a walk, rent some movies if you want to stay in, or we could just hang out here."

Jack was just about to tell her that she could decide when his cell phone went off in the pocket of his jeans, startling Izzy. She froze, stunned, then her face crumpled up, and she burst into frightened tears, face red, limbs flailing. He pressed her to his shoulder, trying to calm her, but whoever it was didn't seem to want to hang up, and she wouldn't stop until the phone did.

He was relieved when Kate lifted her out of his arms, taking her out of the room while he answered.

It was the chief of staff at the hospital, Dr. Daniel Lester, wanting to know when he'd be back at work. Jack told him that he didn't know, that he needed some personal time, but even though the older man didn't say anything, he knew he wasn't impressed. He'd been lucky to get the time off to go to D.C. in the first place; even three more days was pushing it.

"Who was it?" Kate asked, coming back into the room once he'd hung up. The baby was completely calm now that the ringing had stopped, lying placidly against her shoulder. Kate handed her back to him, returning to her chair.

"You have to go back," she said, concerned, when he filled her in on the conversation.

"If he fires me, he fires me," he told her firmly, "I'm not leaving you again – you or the baby."

Kate sighed, fidgeting with her coffee cup. "Don't act like you don't care about saving people, Jack, because we both know you do," she said when she finally looked at him. "Having a baby doesn't change anything."

Jack looked away from her, letting his gaze rest on their daughter in his lap. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew she was right. He did care; that was what made this so hard.

"If I—" he began, but before he could finish, the phone rang again, setting Izzy off. Kate took her immediately, disappearing into the other room.

"Hello?" he answered, once she was gone, expecting the chief again, but the voice on the other end was a woman's, crisp and cold.

"Jack? What's this I hear about you still being in Washington? You said you were only going for three days."

"Mom." He closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose while he tried to think of a response. He would have to tell her the truth, however upsetting it might be for her, but he didn't really want to do it over the phone. "It's a long story – can't it wait until I get back to L.A.?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath; apparently this answer didn't satisfy her. "Who knows when that's going to be, Jack?" she said, seeming to ignore him completely as she added, "I spoke to Daniel, and he said you had some sort of personal emergency that prevented you from leaving – I hope you're not ill."

Jack let out an exasperated sigh at her persistence. "No, Mom, I'm fine," he said, refusing to give her anything more.

Kate came back then, cradling the baby against her chest as she listened from the doorway.

"Then I don't see why you can't come home," Margo continued; when he didn't respond to this, she added, "Maybe I should come up there. We all know how well you handle these kinds of crises."

It was the kind of low blow Jack had come to expect from his mother; her attitude towards him had changed since the crash, but not much. He still wasn't good enough, still wasn't his father, only now, he was competing with the memory rather than the man. A part of him wanted to hurl the phone at the tiles, sever the connection, not just symbolically, but for real, but something stopped him. She was still his mother after all.

"This really isn't a good time, Mom," he said, trying to hurry the conversation towards a conclusion. "I have to go."

"If you won't tell me what's going on, then you could at least tell me when I can expect you," she pressed. "You have responsibilities, Jack – you can't just keep running off because you're unhappy. If your father were here—"

"He's not," Jack snapped, reaching the end of his tether, as he always did, when she brought up his father. It was still a touchy subject between them. "Good bye, Mom, I'll see you when I get back." He hung up his cell before she could argue, switching it off so that she couldn't call back.

"You know you have to go," Kate said, still in the doorway with Izzy, her eyes sad when he looked up at her. "Your mom's right – you can't keep running away. If you stay here, then everything we've been through in the last eleven months was for nothing, because we're no better off than we when we started."

* * *

Just so you don't all freak out, they're not breaking up. But Kate does have a point... 


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry I haven't updated for a few days – my Internet connection has been down. And so was I a little -- uni's starting to stress me out, so trust me, reviews help a lot. I know there's a lot of angst at the moment, but I promise things will get better soon. I have a solution for all of this...

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Chapter 19. Another Promise

"If I go back to L.A., what happens to you and Izzy?" Jack asked; it was the same question he'd been trying to get out for the last ten minutes, since before his cell rang for the second time.

"I've been thinking about moving on," Kate told him, sitting back down beside him at the table. Even though the phone was turned off, she didn't return the baby to his arms this time, settling her in her own lap. "I can't keep imposing on my dad like this – I need to try doing this on my own."

"Wait," Jack said, feeling his breath hitch in his throat, not from wonder or excitement this time, but fear. "When you say on your own, do you mean on your own on your own, or without him? Because I don't see how I fit into the first one." He swallowed hard, waiting for her answer. This couldn't be happening, not again.

Or could it? She looked away from him, down at the baby in her lap, running her fingers through the matted curls on the little girl's head, combing them gently. She was silent for a long moment, too long for Jack to anticipate anything other than confirmation of what he was afraid of.

"Jack," she said finally, in the careful tone he loathed, the tone that meant she was going to say something she knew he wouldn't like, "I could come with you to L.A., like I know you're going to suggest, but we both know that won't last long. Sooner or later, it won't be safe anymore – I'll still have to run, and either take Izzy with me, or leave her with you, when you already have enough going on in your life.

"It's easier if we do this now, before you have time to really get to know her. I'll bring her to visit, I just … " She trailed off, her eyes still averted, seeming to know that she was hurting him deeper with each word she uttered.

"No," he said, feeling that old desperate fury return. It was hard enough letting her go last time, when it was just the two of them, or so he'd thought. "We're not doing this again, Kate – you don't get to make any more decisions for us. If you want to run, then run – I can't stop you, but you're not taking my daughter with you."

His eyes burned with hot tears as leant towards her, pleading, "I'll raise her myself if I have to, but that's not what I want – I want you – please, just give me some time to figure out how to make that happen. After everything we've been through, you owe me that much."

She bit her lip, nodding silently through her own tears. Jack's anger subsided when he saw that she wasn't as sure, or as serious, as she'd pretended to be. He slid off his chair, holding his arms out to her to show her that he'd forgiven her; she melted into them, still holding the baby, so that she too was caught up in the hug.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Kate whispered, burying her face in Izzy's curls as leant into him, letting him fold her into his embrace. "I just don't want to lose her, and if you ever wanted to take her, I couldn't fight you…"

"I know," he said, stroking her hair. "I know." When she stopped crying, he kissed the top of her head, lifting her face so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "But Kate – she's my daughter too, and I don't want to lose her any more than you do, even if I haven't known her that long. I wasn't there when you were pregnant, when she was born, for the first two months of her life… I missed all of that – I don't want to miss anything else. I know we can't stay there forever, but if you come to L.A., I'll figure something out, I promise. I'm going to find a way to keep us together – you, me and Izzy, without either of us having to sacrifice anything else."

* * *

Next chapter Jack will go back to L.A., and probably have that talk with Margo… It'll probably be a bit Kate and Izzy-lite as Jack prepares for their arrival, but there will be plenty of time for that later.


	20. Chapter 20

This is probably not the right forum, but I can't wait to see what you've got planned mcanj. Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my writing, by the way -- it means a lot to me that you think it's improving. I'm learning to be less pedantic, which helps me write faster, and allows me to keep the passion alive for longer. There's nothing worse than losing interest in a story halfway through, which has happened to me before.

Every time I start a new fic, people tell me it's one of their favourites -- out of curiosity, I'd love to hear which one you all think is my best so far. It helps me figure out what my strengths as a writer are, and where I should take my work next...

I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter – I always worry rhat you're going to hate the angst. But then that is what we all signed up for. To be fair, I'm going to balance it with some fluffy stuff though, especially since we might not be seeing Kate and Izzy for a few chapters...

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Chapter 20. I Have To 

As Jack soon discovered, getting Kate to agree to relocate to L.A. was a lot easier than actually getting her there. The logistics were complicated to say the least: she couldn't fly, because she couldn't pass the security checks, and a long journey by bus, or train, or a combination of both, would leave her dangerously exposed.

In the end, Jack had to agree that a cross-country road trip was their only option; he wanted to go with her, but he didn't have time, not when he was supposed to be back at work yesterday. Still, he didn't want her travelling alone with a two-month-old baby, not while the police were still after her; he needed a fourth party to make sure that they stayed safe, and that she didn't push herself too hard trying to get there.

He was actually considering calling Sawyer when, on hearing their plans, Sam offered to take the week off work to accompany them.

"It'll be fun," he said when Jack asked him if he was sure he wouldn't mind. "Katie and I haven't been on a trip together since she was a kid – I always wanted to take her to Disneyland, but her mom would never let me have her long enough." He smiled wistfully, and Jack couldn't help feeling a little guilty that he was taking her away from him again, even if it was in the hopes of giving her a better life.

Kate was less fond of the idea, indignant that Jack had taken it upon himself to organise a babysitter, but he won her over to his side by reminding her that it would give her and Sam a few extra days together. He could tell that she was going to miss her father when he went back to Washington; from the stories she'd told him, they'd always been close, but since Izzy's birth they seemed to have grown closer.

As much as he knew Kate was going to miss Sam though, Jack couldn't help thinking that it would only be a fraction of how much he was going to miss her and Izzy during the time it took them to get to L.A. He didn't know how he was going to go back to his empty apartment after spending time with them as a family, without waking in the middle of the night to Izzy's cries, and Kate's soft voice telling him he didn't have to get up, even if he did anyway.

But with both his mother and the chief waiting for him, Jack couldn't push his departure back any further than the following morning. Tomorrow would be his fourth day off work, seventh including the conference; any more and the trip probably wouldn't be worth bothering with.

After ordering his ticket, and checking out of the hotel, he spent the rest of the afternoon at Sam's house with Kate, not letting Izzy out of his sight or his arms. She didn't seem to mind the attention, holding onto one of his hands as she sat in his lap, alternately dozing and watching the room around her with her soft, dark eyes. She always seemed so alert when she was awake; Jack was pretty sure she was going to be smart when she grew up.

"She really loves you, you know," Kate said, sitting on the couch beside them later in the evening. Sam had gone to bed, having said his goodbyes, so it was just the three of them, Izzy sleeping peacefully against Jack's chest. "It took her a couple of days to warm to my dad, but she didn't seem to have that problem with you."

"That's good." Jack glanced down at the little bundle in his arms, watching her back rise and fall as she breathed in and out, then back at Kate with a self-deprecating smile. "She'll have plenty of time to hate me when she's older." He tried to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn't funny, not when it was something he was really afraid of. He hadn't hated his own father, but most days he hadn't liked him much either.

"She could never hate you," Kate told him, seeming to sense his fears. "You're a good man, Jack, and you're going to be an amazing dad." She smiled at him as she said it, but her eyes were sad; Jack couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking of her own father, not Sam, but the real one, the one she'd hated enough to kill.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you," he said, taking one hand off of Izzy's back to touch her arm gently, but she shook her head, signalling that she didn't want to talk about it.

"It's okay." She sighed, turning her head as she struggled with her emotions for a moment, then shifted her position, scooting over to him, and curling against his side. "I'm sorry we haven't had much time alone the last couple of days," she said finally, moving the conversation away what was still a painful subject for both of them.

Jack slid his free arm around her, settling her more comfortably against him, happy to let it go. "I like spending time with you and Izzy," he told her.

"Me too." She lifted her head so that she could see his face. "But I was thinking, if you want, when we get to L.A…" she trailed off, giving him a meaningful look.

He could tell she was nervous; it had been a long time.

Part of Jack, the cautious part, the part that was afraid of getting hurt again, told him that picking up where they left off wasn't a good idea, not while their future was still so uncertain, but he couldn't help feeling a little thrill of excitement at the suggestion. The two days he'd spent with her and Izzy had been as close to perfect as any he'd ever had, but he couldn't wishing for even a snatch of what they'd had before, on the island, and on the run. It felt like forever since he'd been alone with her, longer than the eleven months that had elapsed in reality.

He nodded slowly, not wanting to appear too eager, in case she was only saying what she thought he wanted to hear. He didn't want to rush her if she wasn't ready, but he certainly wasn't going to reject her either, not when he'd already waited so long. "If that's what you want," he agreed softly, bringing his lips down to caress hers gently.

"Yeah, it is," she told him with a little smile. She pushed herself up on the couch, lifting her face to his so that she could kiss him again, deeper, and with more passion, this time, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder when he released her.

That kiss said it all; neither of them spoke, enjoying the silence as they waited for their breath to return, until she asked, "Do you really think you can find a way for us to be together? All of us?" Jack could hear the frown in her voice, as if she didn't quite believe he would be able to make good on his promise this time.

It didn't matter though, because he was going to prove her wrong. He'd never broken a vow to her yet. He laid his cheek against her hair, feeling her draw herself closer to him in response. "I have to," he said simply.

* * *

Next chapter, Jack will return to L.A., and we might finally see the confrontation with Margo I've been promising... I'm also toying with the idea of bringing Marc back in...


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for your reviews. They made me remember what my real priority is... ;)

I'm going to stop promising things, because I'm never right. I think you'll like this chapter though, even if it doesn't have Marc or Margo in it.

Finally, I really want to know about the preview for 3.13 (the Jate stuff), so one of you guys has to tell me about it when you see it!

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Chapter 21. Goodbyes

Waking up with Kate the next morning, Jack was tempted to cancel his flight.

He opened his eyes just after seven to find her already awake, her body curled against his, face just inches away, watching him. "Hey," she said, a soft smile lighting up her features as she leant in to graze his lips.

"Hey," he answered, grinning back as she laid her head back down beside his.

His plane left at nine; when he saw that it was getting close to half past, he started to pull away, intending to get up, but she drew him back to her, returning his mouth to hers.

"Don't go," she murmured against him when they came up for air, trailing gentle kisses from the corner of his lips, to his jaw, down to his throat. "I'll make it worth your while if you stay."

Jack felt a familiar shiver go through him at the feel of her lips on his skin, but he was determined not to let her win that way this time. "I can't," he told her, trying feebly to push her away, but when she ignored him, he gave in to her blackmail, pulling her down on top of him so that he could kiss her again. He could feel her smiling against his lips, apparently pleased that she still had that power over him.

Things might have gone a lot further than an early morning make out session if it wasn't for Izzy, who woke up just as Kate was reaching for the hem of his t-shirt, wailing to let them know that she wanted to be picked up.

Kate froze with her hands on his sides, her guilty expression mirroring the one Jack could feel creeping onto his own face. "Guess we're going to have to wait 'till L.A. after all," she said sheepishly.

He sighed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. "Guess so."

Echoing his sigh, she gave his lips one last peck before climbing off of him, rescuing Izzy from her bassinette, and bringing her into bed with them.

The rest of the morning was taken up with tending to the baby, and making preparations to leave, so that by the time Jack was ready to go to the airport, he and Kate still hadn't been able to steal another moment alone.

"You wanted this, remember?" Kate said, laughing, as he tried to kiss her goodbye over Izzy's head out on the driveway. The baby seemed to know that something was going on, because she'd started to fuss, squirming around so that Kate had to hold onto her with both hands.

Jack leant down to kiss her fuzzy curls, taking hold of one of her hands. "Yeah, silly me," he said, addressing the words more to the baby than to Kate.

She stopped wriggling for a moment, gurgling happily at being the centre of his attention again, until he let go, making for the driver's side of his rental car. As soon as he climbed in, she started to cry, tossing around in Kate's arms again, her face turning an angry red.

"You're gonna miss Daddy, aren't you?" he heard Kate say as he rolled down the window. "Not as much as me." Smiling at him, knowing full well that he heard her, she leaned into the car to kiss him again, then stepped back, waving him away. "Now go on, get, before I start too." She laughed as she said it, trying to keep things light between them, but he could see that she was getting teary.

"I'll see you both in a couple of days," he told her, closing the window again quickly to shut out the baby's cries. Leaving her was hard enough without hearing how much he was upsetting her by doing it.

Not wanting to prolong the experience any further, he started the engine, backing out of the driveway. As he turned out onto the street, he saw Kate mouth the words, "I love you", holding Izzy's hand as they waved goodbye together.

He waved back, watching them grow smaller in the rear view mirror until he turned the corner, more determined than ever to find a way to keep Kate from running again. What he'd told her the night before was true, he didn't have a choice, because he didn't think he could go through that again.

* * *

I've already sketched out the next chapter, so I can promise you Marc. The confrontation with Margo should follow, maybe in chapter 23... 


	22. Chapter 22

Glad you all liked the last chapter. I just felt like I needed some more Jate/Jaby stuff before Jack left. Marc this chapter, then Margo next, I'm pretty sure. It's coming soon, anyway... So Par Avion was really good, huh? Guess we won't be seeing any more fics about romances, or potential romances, between Aaron and a Jaby... Ugh...

* * *

Chapter 22. More Help

The first thing Jack did when he landed in L.A. was call Marc from his cell. He figured that after everything his friend had done to help their reunion along, he owed it to him to let him know what was happening with Kate.

Marc must have checked the caller ID on his phone, because instead of any of the usual greetings, he answered with, "How'd it go, man? Were we right? Is the kid yours?"

Jack laughed at the eagerness in his tone. "Yeah, she's mine," he agreed, grinning at the thought of his little girl. It had only been a few hours and already he missed her: her gentle eyes, her sweet baby noises, the feel of her soft, floppy body snuggled against him… Several times on the flight he'd been tempted to call Kate so that he could at least hear her again, but he was afraid that the sound of his voice would bring on a fresh bout of tears, and that wouldn't be fair to any of them.

His friend let out an excited whoop, making him laugh again. "Congratulations, man – I think," he added, checking himself. "I know how much you wanted things to work out that way. Is she letting you see her?"

"Yeah." Jack's smile widened as his mind wandered back to the blissful few days he'd spent with Kate and their baby. "I've been hanging out with them at her dad's house. Her name's Isobelle – Izzy."

"Cute."

"She's beautiful – you saw her," Jack went on, feeling a strange surge of pride. He'd never experienced anything like it before, not when he graduated med school early, or distinguished himself in his career, or was chosen to lead the other survivors on the island. He'd hardly had to do anything, and yet she still seemed like the best thing he'd ever done.

"She just looked like a baby," Marc told him, mystified by Jack's statement. "I guess she was cute, but no more than… I should probably just agree, huh?" he added quickly, apparently realising that it would be futile to try to convince Jack otherwise. He was her father after all.

"Probably." Jack laughed again. "I'm going to remind you of this in a few years when you tell me how amazing your kid is." Ignoring the scoffing sound Marc made on the other end of the line, he added, "But seriously, you've got to see her again. She's such a good baby – she hardly ever cries. She only woke us up once last night."

"Wait, you stayed over?" Marc cut in, incredulous.

"Yeah. I didn't want to leave them to go back to the hotel, so I spent the last couple of nights there," Jack explained.

"So I take it you worked things out with what's her name – what is her name anyway?"

Jack felt his smile begin to fade. "Kate."

"—Kate," his friend finished.

"We're getting there," Jack told him, hoping that Marc wouldn't ask for any more of the particulars, not when he was still trying to figure out how to present them in the least sordid light.

Instead, seemingly satisfied with this, Marc asked, "So when do I get to meet this Kate properly? As your best friend, I'm supposed to get girlfriend approval before you get too serious, although it's a little late for that now, I guess."

Jack felt himself bristle at this question, wishing Marc had asked something else. He wasn't sure he was ready to let his best friend in on that part of his life yet, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't keep Kate locked away forever. Sooner or later, if he stayed with her, he was going to have to introduce her to the other people in his life, even if they couldn't find it in themselves to be happy for him.

"She's bringing Izzy here in a couple of days, so you should be able to meet her then – both of them," he answered finally, realising that he was going to have to arrange a meeting between Kate and his mother too. It was a worrying thought; he couldn't exactly see Margo laying out the welcome mat for the fugitive mother of his illegitimate love child, but he couldn't shut her out of his life any more than he could Marc.

Oblivious to the issues weighing on his best friend's mind, Marc laughed; Jack could visualise his trademark smirk. "You should hear yourself, man – gushing about the kid, grinning like an idiot because you got to stay over at this girl's house. She really has you whipped, doesn't she?"

Jack laughed, snapping out of his sombre mood, not even bothering to deny it. "If you could ever stay with one woman long enough, you'd find it's not a bad way to be," he said.

Marc smirked again; Jack could hear it in his tone as he asked, half serious, half joking, "So when're you going to ask her to marry you?"

Jack started to protest, but his friend cut him off, adding, "Come on, Jack – you're the most old fashioned guy I know. I'm sure you've got the ring picked out and everything."

Jack sighed as, once again, he found himself painted into a corner. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said, licking his lips, hoping that Marc wouldn't ask him how.

Of course, it was too interesting a statement for him to let go. "She's not already married, is she?" he asked. "Because she sounded pretty genuine…"

Jack almost had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea. "No, she's not," he told him, "but there is some legal stuff we have to deal with first."

"Legal stuff?" Marc repeated, his ears perking up. He was, after all, a lawyer. "She's not married, and she's clearly not an illegal alien or anything, so what kind of legal issues are we talking here?"

Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Here it was, the question he'd spent the entire conversation trying to avoid. "When the plane went down, she was being transported home on criminal charges," he answered quickly, before he could change his mind. Marc was right, he was a lawyer; it wasn't his job to judge.

Marc let out a low whistle. "Wow, man, you really know how to pick 'em. If they went to that much trouble, I'm guessing she's not wanted for tax evasion." He was silent for a moment, processing this, then he asked, "So what'd she do?"

"Blew up a house… with her father inside." Jack cringed as he said it; it sounded so cold, so heartless, so unlike the woman he'd fallen in love with. Some days he still had trouble believing it.

As he waited for Marc's reaction, he heard his friend's incredulous laughter resonate down the phone line. "Jesus, Jack – I know you're got this chronic ability to lock onto the most screwed up person in a room, but don't you think that's a bit much, even for you? You couldn't have fallen for another schoolteacher?"

"I know it sounds bad," he added quickly, feeling the strange need to justify his relationship to his best friend, "but if you knew her—"

"It's okay," Marc said seriously, before he could finish. "You don't have to do that, man. If you love her, she must have some good qualities. Why don't you give me her full name, the place she committed the crime – all that jazz – and I'll look into it, see if I can find some kind of loophole."

An awkward silence fell over them after Jack gave him the particulars and thanked him; Marc cut into it, adding, his tone gentler this time, "Why didn't you tell me this sooner, man? I could have helped you, before things got this out of hand."

Jack thought about this for a moment, wondering why it had never occurred to him that his friend could help before. "I guess I was afraid you'd try to talk me out of it," he said.

"Don't get me wrong – I still think you're crazy, hooking up with a chick like that," Marc told him, resuming his playful tone, "but I'll do whatever I can to help you clear this up. God knows you deserve to be happy after the way Sarah treated you."


	23. Chapter 23

We finally got broadband, so now it doesn't take me half my life to upload a chapter...

It's funny, you guys all hated Marc in the beginning... I'm glad you don't anymore. I think it stands to reason that he'd do anything for Jack -- need I remind you of how they met?

As for Margo, you're right, it's unlikely that she's going to be as supportive...

* * *

Chapter 23. Why Now? 

After making contact with Marc, the next stop on Jack's agenda was the hospital.

The chief was on the phone when he arrived at his office; he knocked lightly on the doorframe, taking a seat when the older man gestured for him to enter.

"That was your mother," he said when he hung up. "She wanted to know if I'd heard from you yet." His voice softened, taking on a paternal tone as he added, "She's worried about you, Jack – we all are. You haven't been yourself for a while now." He folded his hands, leaning forward slightly, waiting for Jack to speak.

Jack sighed, wishing everyone would leave him alone to digest what was happening. It was suffocating, the way his mother came at him from all sides, through his boss, his best friend… he found it hard to believe that she hadn't spoken to Marc since he got back from D.C.; he just hoped his friend had been loyal enough not to mention Kate or the baby. "I just had some stuff going on in my personal life that I needed to sort out," he said vaguely, hoping that he wouldn't be forced to explain.

"And it's sorted out now?" the chief asked, respecting his privacy, to Jack's relief.

It wasn't, not by a long shot, but Jack figured it would be best to agree, since he didn't want to have to go into the details. "Yeah."

"Good – I'm glad to hear it." The chief unfolded his hands, leaning back in his chair, all business again. "So when can I schedule your next shift?"

"Tonight or tomorrow – just give me time to talk to my mother first."

"Okay," he agreed, dismissing him.

Jack started for the door, eager to escape his questions, but the chief called him back, looking up from the papers on his desk to add, "And Jack? It's good to have you back."

* * *

Realising that he couldn't put the confrontation off any longer, Jack drove to his parents' house in Beverly Hills. His mother must have been expecting him, because she answered the door herself, ushering him into the sitting room.

"So your meeting with Daniel went well?" she asked, gesturing for the maid to bring them some coffee. "I told him not to go too hard on you."

"It went fine – I'll be going back to work tonight or tomorrow," Jack told her, not at all surprised that she had something to do with the chief letting him go without so much as a slap on the wrist. Dr. Lester was an old friend of his father's; she'd probably used their relationship to talk him out of taking disciplinary action.

"Good – your patients need you, Jack, and so does the hospital." She was silent for a moment, and Jack was afraid she was going to use the opportunity to bring up Christian, but she didn't, asking instead, "So what's all this about? What was in Washington that was so important that you were willing to risk your career?"

The maid came back into the room then; Jack took the cup she offered him with a grateful smile, staring at it as he considered how best to answer his mother's question. If he told her he went to Washington for a woman, without going into their history, she'd assume it was just a fling, nothing more; that Izzy was a mistake, the result of a lapse in judgement. She'd never know that he'd wanted her, or Kate, for that matter, that he loved them, enough that getting fired was the least of his problems.

"I met someone, on the island," he told her, putting the cup down, deciding that she needed to hear the whole story, if only to understand all of this.

Margo pursed her lips, surveying him with a pinched expression as she waited for him to go on, so he added, "Her name is Kate. I was injured in the crash – I gashed my back open when I landed in the jungle. I couldn't reach the wound, so she helped me stitch it back up. We became very close after that, started spending a lot of time together, as friends, but then, just before we got rescued, we started seeing each other."

Jack paused, offering his mother the chance to speak. He wasn't really sure what else he could say, not without giving her the ammunition she needed to disapprove of his relationship with Kate. She'd never liked any of the girls he'd brought home, not even Sarah. She hadn't even come to his wedding.

"She lives in Washington?" Margo asked finally, in her clipped tone.

Jack couldn't tell what she was thinking; her face was as emotionless as it had been when he started. "Her father does – she's been staying with him."

"So why now, Jack?" his mother asked with a sigh, going right to the heart of the matter. "You haven't seen this woman in months – why turn your entire life upside down for her now?"

Jack took a deep breath. If she wanted to him to get straight to the point, then he would. He had nothing to be ashamed of. "Because we have a child together," he said. "A daughter. Her name's Isobelle. She's two months old."

Margo reacted this time, her face blanching slightly, her lips forming a little 'o' of surprise. "Honestly, Jack," she said, once she'd digested this, "I never thought I'd see the day. This is the kind of thing I'd expect from your father."

Jack felt himself getting angry again, as angry as he'd been the previous morning on the phone. "This has nothing to do with my father – I'm not married," he snapped, standing up. He hadn't expected her to be happy for him, but at the very least, she he'd expected her to hear him out before she passed judgement.

"No, you're not, Jack, which is why you had no business getting this woman – a woman you hardly know – pregnant," Margo returned, getting to her own feet. "Do you have any idea how damaging this could be to your career? To your income? This could ruin you," she hissed.

"Not everything is about money," Jack told her, angry tears stinging his eyes, hurt not so much for himself, but for his family. "When I met Kate, I had six hundred dollars in my wallet. I wasn't a doctor, I wasn't a surgeon – I was just a guy on an island. We didn't think we were ever going to get rescued."

"But you did, Jack, you did, and then miraculously, twelve months later, this woman comes out of the woodwork and tells you you have a daughter. Did you even bother to ask for proof of paternity before you agreed to get involved?"

Something inside of Jack snapped then. "Yes!" he cried, feeling himself flush with shame, vaguely aware that for the first time in his life, he was yelling at his mother. "I ran a test, okay? I hated it – betraying Kate like that – but I did it, and it's certain, she's my child, so you can forget it if you think I'm just going throw a bunch of money at them and walk away."

Margo flinched, cowed by his tone, but recovered quickly. "What does she want?" she asked icily.

"Nothing." Jack lowered his voice again, suddenly very tired. "She didn't ask for anything, she didn't even tell me about the baby. I was the one who contacted her."

Margo stared at him for a long moment. "Oh, Jack," she said, her own tone softening. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am, which is why I've asked her to move in with me," he told her, still furious that his mother thought he was being manipulated. Kate wasn't like that; she would never use him, or their daughter, that way. "They'll be here in a couple of days – you can meet her if you want, meet your granddaughter, but I'm not letting this go. Kate and Izzy, they're my family now – it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to be a part of it."


	24. Chapter 24

I wasn't going to put this chapter up today, but Margo was being so awful that I thought we could all do with the fluff. Plus, you guys think you have it bad, with the reunion not going to plan -- I have to sit through Kate and Sawyer having sex this week, so I'm kinda depressed about that... ;)

* * *

Chapter 24. Is She…?

Jack spent the next few days alternately working and preparing for Kate and Izzy's arrival. He spoke to Marc a few times over the phone, and met him once for dinner, but until he heard Kate's side of the story, his friend couldn't offer much in the way of legal aid.

On Friday night, Kate called from a motel in Arizona to tell him that they'd be there the following day, provided Izzy stayed on her best behaviour. She'd been very good, she told him, not as fussy as she'd expected, though she'd cried for nearly an hour after he left.

As much as it bothered him to know that he was the source of his daughter's tears, Jack couldn't help feeling pleased that she'd noticed his absence. He was starting to realise that his fears that they wouldn't have a connection were unfounded; he loved her, unconditionally, and she seemed to love him. He was looking forward to making it up to her, to cuddling her, and spoiling her with his undivided attention. He couldn't wait to show her all the things he'd bought for her, although he suspected Kate would be more interested than Izzy, who still found the most mundane things, like hair, amusing. He'd watched Kate pry her hands away from hers more than once, tucking it behind her back to keep it out of her reach. She also liked fingers and clothing; a few times when Jack was holding her she'd latched onto his t-shirt with her hands or her mouth, clinging to it until he moved her.

He didn't have another shift until Sunday, so Jack spent most of Saturday on the couch, waiting, leaping up to check the driveway every time he heard a car outside.

Just after three, he glanced out the window to see the SUV Kate told him they'd rented for the trip; without even bothering to close his door, he ran out into the hallway, to the lift, catching Kate in his arms as she reached for the buzzer.

"Hi," she said, laughing.

"Hi." He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her to him, and covering her mouth with his own.

He felt her gasp, surprised, then her lips curved into a smile against his as she shifted her arms from his back, to around his neck, settling into the kiss.

They stood there in the doorway for what felt like hours, drinking each other in, oblivious to anyone who might be watching, until Sam cleared his throat.

"Whenever you two are ready, I think there's someone else who'd like to say hello," he told them, sounding amused.

Jack pulled away from Kate with a sheepish grin, glancing over to see Sam standing by the backdoor, Izzy wriggling impatiently in his grip.

Leaving Kate without another quick peck, he took the baby from her grandfather, kissing the top of her fuzzy head. He was about to settle her against his chest like usual when he noticed that she was smiling, the first real smile he'd ever seen her give.

"Look at this," he said excitedly, waving both Kate and Sam over. He could feel himself getting a little teary; it was the first major milestone he'd witnessed, the first time his daughter had done something completely new and unexpected in his presence.

"Is she…?" Kate asked, coming to stand beside him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she followed his gaze to the baby, who continued to show off her new trick, flashing her gums at them happily, apparently enjoying the ruckus she was causing. Everyone was watching her now. "She's never done that before – not for me."

Izzy's smile was infectious. Kate grinned at him; Jack could see that she was jealous, but clearly as excited as he was. "I guess she really did miss you."

* * *

This is true, by the way -- two month old babies can smile, though no one's entirely sure if it's an emotional response, or just wind... 


	25. Chapter 25

More Jate / Jaby fluff this update, 'cause I'm still feeling depressed. Anyone else miss season one? Season two, even, or select parts? I might have to go watch my box sets again...

* * *

Chapter 25. Perfect

Handing Izzy to Kate, Jack helped Sam bring their stuff up to the apartment. They didn't have much, just a suitcase full of clothes between them, and a few boxes of things belonging to the baby: diapers, stuffed toys, blankets and baby products, as well as the pictures they'd taken in D.C.

When they'd locked up the car, Kate followed him inside with Izzy, looking around her in awe. The building wasn't the best Jack could afford, but it was definitely out of her price range; after spending time with her at Sam's, he couldn't help wondering what she'd make of the house he grew up in, if his mother ever got around to calling him again.

Sam was waiting for them in the hallway, outside his apartment; Jack couldn't help noticing that he hadn't taken his own luggage inside.

"You're not staying?" he asked. "Because you're more than welcome to – the couch is a pull out, so there's plenty of room if you want to wait until tomorrow to head back."

Sam shook his head. "I've called a cab to take me to the airport," he told them, checking his watch. "Should be here in a few minutes. I've got a lot of work to catch up on – besides, you two don't want an old geezer like me hanging around while you're setting up house."

"You're not that old," Kate said, laughing, passing Izzy to Jack so that she could hug her father goodbye. "And you're not a geezer. And we like having you around."

Sam folded her into his arms, holding her for a long moment. "You just be happy, okay?" he said.

She nodded. "I am."

"Good." Sam gave her a watery smile, squeezing her a little tighter. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Jack could see that they were both had tears in their eyes. Before either one of them could start crying though, Sam kissed the top of her head, and released her, turning his attention on Izzy.

"And you – you take care of your mom," he told her, taking hold of one of her hands, and kissing it gently. "Make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble."

Izzy just looked at him, flashing him another gummy smile.

He laughed, and kissed the top of her head, eliciting a little squeal. "You have no idea, do you?" he said.

He hugged Kate one more time, then shook Jack's hand, picking up his luggage as the cab driver beeped his horn. "Well, I guess this is it then," he said. "Don't forget – I want plenty of pictures, and I want to know what's happening with," he lowered his voice, "you know."

Jack nodded. "We'll give you a call as soon as we figure it out." He shifted Izzy so that he could slide his free arm around Kate as her father stepped into the lift.

"Bye Daddy," she called, tearing up again.

"Bye baby. Bye Jack. Bye Izzy."

Izzy let out another squeal on hearing her name, making Kate laugh through her tears.

"You okay?" Jack asked her when Sam was gone.

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I just got so used to having him around."

"Maybe we can bring him down for Christmas," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "It's only a few weeks away."

She smiled, cheered by this idea. "Okay."

"Come on – I want to show you something." Jack kissed her again, releasing her so that he could take her hand.

Closing the door behind them, he led her into the apartment, giving her her first proper look. He'd unpacked a lot since Sawyer had mocked him about the décor, wanting to make the place feel homier for her and Izzy.

"Nice," she said, smiling at him as she surveyed the living room.

"It is," he agreed, "but that's not what I wanted to show you."

Grinning, he took her to the spare room, which had previously housed most of the boxes, passing the baby back to her as he pushed open the door. "I know it's not a lot, but I didn't know how long we'd be here, so I didn't want to go too crazy," he explained.

He watched her eyes travel from the bassinette, almost identical to the one she'd had at Sam's, to the fully equipped changing table, to the little chest of drawers, filling up with happy tears this time.

"It's perfect," she told him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Her voice changed to the maternal tone she reserved for the baby as she added, "Look, Izzy – look what Daddy did for you."

She stepped into the room with the baby, moving in a slow circle so that she could inspect everything. "You didn't have to buy all this stuff," she said when she realised that the drawers weren't empty, taking out a little pink summer romper with a smile.

"Yeah, I did," he told her, returning her grin. He'd never realised how much fun shopping could be until he started looking for things for Izzy. "It's hotter here than it is in D.C., so I figured we'd need to replace a lot of her clothes."

"Okay, so what about this?" she said, laughing, as she moved on to the wardrobe, pulling out a little pink dress. "Tell me you don't have a practical explanation for this."

"That? No, that was just cute," he agreed, coming up behind her to slide his arms around her waist.

She settled back against him with a contented sigh. "You're determined to make her into a real girl, aren't you?"

"If that's what she wants, then hey, I'm not complaining," he told her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "But then I do kind of have this thing for tomboys…"

She laughed, twisting in his arms. "I missed you," she murmured, lifting her face so that it brushed against his.

"I missed you too," he told her, moving in to kiss her over Izzy's head. The baby wriggled around in her hands, grabbing hold of Jack's shirt with a triumphant squeal, determined to return their attention to her.

"Did you get a baby monitor?" Kate asked, when, to her glee, they pulled away from each other. She pried Izzy's fingers off of Jack, laughing, and kissing them gently.

"On the dresser," he agreed, nodding in that general direction. "Why?"

She followed his eyes to where the two pieces sat, turning back to him with a coy smile. "Because I was kind of thinking she could sleep in here tonight…"


	26. Chapter 26

I know a lot of you will be disappointed that I skipped ahead twenty four hours, so here's Marc to make up for it...

* * *

Chapter 26. Motives 

Marc was still eager to meet Kate, so Jack invited him over for dinner the following evening. Neither he, nor Kate, was much of a cook, so he figured it would be better to keep things casual and order Chinese food or something. He wanted them both to feel comfortable, and formal meals were too awkward.

His friend arrived just after six, knocking politely instead of letting himself in like he normally would.

"I brought this for us," he said when Jack opened the door, handing him a carton of beer, "And this for the kid." He held up the little brown bear that was dangling from his free hand. "I don't know if she's got one, but I figure a kid can never have too many toys, right?"

"Right," Jack agreed with a laugh, touched by his friend's gesture. "This is great, man, but she's asleep at the moment, so you might have to wait to give it to her."

"That's okay, you can give it to her when she wakes up," Marc said with a shrug, dumping it on top of the carton. "Tell her it's from her Uncle Marc."

"Uncle?" Jack repeated, raising an eyebrow as he led his friend into kitchen.

"Yeah." Marc gave him an impish grin. "I figure I'm going to be the cool uncle who takes her to R rated movies and buys her booze when she's not old enough to drink."

"Sure, man, you do that," Jack told him, laughing, and giving him a dubious look, "but I know how much you like those talking animal movies."

Kate came out of Izzy's room with the baby monitor just as Jack was setting the carton down on the bench.

"This must be the infamous Kate," Marc said when he saw her, holding out his hand.

She took it with a bashful smile. "I think we've met."

"Yeah, sorry about all that stuff at the mall," he agreed sheepishly, "but I was just looking out for my man Jack here."

Kate laughed, looking at Jack, amused. "It's okay," she said, nodding seriously. "I know how it looked." She bit her lip, staring at the counter, apparently at a loss for what else to say.

To break the awkward silence, Jack held up the bear. "Look what Marc bought Izzy."

"That's sweet," Kate said, her smile turning warm as she took it from Jack. "She'll love it – she'll probably suck its ear off or something, but she'll have fun doing it."

Marc returned her grin, his eyes straying to the carton of beer as the conversation tapered off again. "I probably should have brought some wine or something," he said, but Kate shook her head, laughing.

"Not on my account. Beer's fine – I practically lived on the stuff growing up."

Marc raised an eyebrow at her, clearly impressed. "I don't think I've ever met a woman who drinks beer before," he said, "not by choice. My last girlfriend would only drink Bloody Marys – Tomato juice? What's with that? They tasted like crap."

Kate laughed again, sobering up as she said, "Yeah, well, as much as I'd love to join you guys, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. Nursing," she added, by way of explanation, for Marc's benefit. "But you go ahead."

* * *

It wasn't until after dinner that Jack had the chance to hear Marc's thoughts on Kate. She'd gone into the nursery to check on Izzy, leaving the two of them alone to clean up the kitchen. 

"So?" he pressed, lowering his voice as he started scraping leftovers onto a plate. "Do I get the best friend seal of approval?"

"Are you kidding, man?" Marc said, a little too loudly. "She's awesome – like a guy, but not. I gotta admit – I'm a little jealous. I'm gonna have to go to Iowa, I think."

"So you still want to help?" Jack asked, relieved. He had enough opposition to deal with from Margo's corner without his best friend jumping on the bandwagon.

"Of course," Marc agreed, his voice growing serious, "I was actually gonna suggest I sit down with her when she comes back."

Jack frowned at his friend's words. "Why does it feel like you're excluding me from the conversation?"

Marc sighed. "Because I am." He hesitated for a moment, then added, gently, "Listen, man, don't take this the wrong way, but I think, as her lawyer, I should talk to her alone."

Jack knew he should agree to his friend's terms; Marc was only trying to help them, but he could feel his temper beginning to rise. "Why?" he asked. "It's not like she hasn't already told me whatever she's going to tell you. She told me everything."

"Did she?"

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again, taken aback by his friend's comment. "Did you read something in her case file?" he asked sharply, resenting the implications of what Marc was saying. Of course she'd told him everything.

"No, it's all pretty straight forward – says she blew up her stepfather, evaded arrest, fled to Australia…" Marc lowered his voice. "But I know killers, man, and Kate – she ain't one of them. If she killed this guy, she must've had a reason, a good one – she ever tell you what it was?"

"He was her father, not her stepfather," Jack corrected him. "He used to beat up her mom. She hated him."

Marc shook his head. "A lot of people hate their fathers. You know what they do? They move out. Your girlfriend went back to her old house with the sole intention of killing hers. I know you probably don't want to hear this, man, but I think there's more to it than him hurting her mom."

Marc was right; Jack didn't want to hear it. It was bad enough that he'd spent the last twelve months asking him that question, ever since that night on the beach. "If there was, she would have told me," he argued feebly, but Marc cut him off.

"In a criminal trial, it's all about motive – hers could be the difference between life imprisonment and an acquittal," he said. "If there's more to what happened with her dad than she's letting on, she obviously doesn't want you to know about it, so please, just let me talk to her. I'll be tactful, I promise."

He patted Jack's arm, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know you're worried – she's a nice girl, she doesn't the crap lot she got stuck with. But you're gonna have to let go of your personal feelings, man, because right now, the more reasons she has to hate him, the better."

* * *

I love that Marc calls Izzy "the kid". I don't know why, I just thought it would be cute, since he does it with affection. More Marc soon (maybe even Marc and Izzy together), and Margo, who obviously has a decision to make... 


	27. Chapter 27

I saw that promo you guys are all talking about, and you're right, it is awesome! Especially that last part, when he tells her he'll come back for her. It definitely made me feel better about all the Skate stuff… What did you mean about them making Jate out to be the "OTP" of Lost though, gia?

The chapter I have for you today is pretty angsty, but I promise I'll make it up to you with more Jate / Jaby fluff soon…

* * *

Chapter 27. Some Things You Can't Fix

While Marc talked to Kate, Jack sat in the nursery with Izzy, watching her sleep. She was as serene as ever, lying on her back in the bassinette, but while spending time with her usually had a calming influence on him, tonight, Jack couldn't seem to forget what Marc said. He was right; Kate wasn't a killer. She didn't hate anyone that much, not without a reason.

As the moments ticked by, his eyes strayed from his daughter, to the baby monitor, set up on the dresser beside them. He'd turned it off while he was sitting there, to give them some privacy, but he was tempted to switch it back on again, to see if he could tune it the other way. He wasn't as adept at these things as Sayid, but he'd always had a scientific mind; if he really wanted to, he could probably figure out a way to do it.

It wasn't fair to eavesdrop, he knew; if Marc was going to be Kate's lawyer, he was entitled to keep some of what was said between them confidential, at least until the trial, but Jack hated not knowing. He hated not knowing what was going on with Kate, but more than that, he hated the idea that after everything, she still hadn't been completely honest with him, that there was still something he was missing. Something that Marc would know, and he wouldn't. Something that would explain her; at least the parts he didn't understand.

It was about an hour after Jack left them alone in the kitchen that Marc poked his head into the nursery.

"That the kid?" he asked softly, coming over to stand beside Jack, peering into the bassinette over his shoulder. Izzy was still asleep, but she'd rolled onto her side, curling into a little ball, her brow furrowed as if she were having a very serious dream. "She kinda looks like you, man – she's got the same frown. Yeah – that one," he added, after a moment, when Jack tore his eyes away from his daughter, looking up at him.

"Did you get what you needed?" he couldn't help asking bitterly, surprised when his friend shook his head.

"No – if it helps, I think the story she gave me was even more abridged than the one she gave you."

As much as he wanted to believe that Kate was telling the truth, that she'd hated Wayne because of what he'd done to her mother, Jack couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Good intentions aside, it probably wouldn't be enough to convince a jury that she didn't deserve to be punished, not when there were other ways of dealing with a situation like that. "Did you tell her what you told me?" he asked. "About motives?"

"Yeah," Marc agreed, after a long moment. "And I'm still not convinced about hers, but I can only work with what she's willing to give me."

Looking back down at his daughter, Jack felt his heart sink a little more. That didn't sound very promising. Aside from Kate, there was no one on earth he trusted more than his best friend, but he was beginning to doubt that even he could help them, not if Kate didn't want to be helped. He'd thought that having a baby would give her a reason to fight, but not even that seemed to be enough to make her want to confront the past. "So where does that leave us?"

Jack heard his friend sigh, and he could imagine that he was shaking his head again. "I don't know, man – give me some time to think it over," he said seriously.

Jack nodded, his attention still focused on Izzy as he tried to hide the despair that he felt. He was tired of going around in circles, of waiting for the other shoe to drop every time he found happiness with Kate. "Thanks for coming over," he said, carefully adjusting the blanket the baby had kicked off when she moved, "and for offering to help. It means a lot that you're trying."

"Don't sweat it, buddy," Marc told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "you'd do the same for me, right?"

Jack lifted his eyes from the bassinette, turning back to his friend to offer him a weak smile. "Of course." It was true; he meant it, but his mind was too choked up with his own problems to be any more convincing.

Marc seemed to get the idea though, because he returned Jack's smile. "I'm gonna go," he said after a moment, "that's actually what I came to tell you, but before I do, I just gotta ask – are you gonna be okay, man?"

His face was etched with worry; Jack nodded, reaching into the bassinette to take of one of his daughter's tiny hands. She closed her fingers reflexively around his, squeezing back like she had the first time he met her, bringing a gentle smile to his lips. "Yeah, I'll be okay," he said.

* * *

While Jack knew he'd be okay, he couldn't help worrying about Kate, and her determination to carry the weight of her past alone. He wanted to help her, to make her whole again – that was all he'd ever wanted – but he was beginning to wonder if it would ever be possible. As hard as it was to accept, it seemed like Marc was right, that there might really be some things she wasn't ready for him to know; that she might never be ready for him to know.

But even so, he couldn't help wishing he knew what those things were.

He was still sitting in the nursery, watching their daughter, and thinking, when she came in to check on them a while later. Marc had gone; they were alone again now, without even Izzy to act as a buffer between them, at least not until she woke up.

Kate froze when she registered the pensive look on his face, the smile dying on her lips; Jack could tell she wanted to turn around and walk back out, but it was too late for that, so instead, she said with false brightness, "So Marc seems nice. Is it weird that he kinda reminded me of Sawyer? A more civilised version of Sawyer."

She was trying to keep the conversation light, neutral, Jack knew, but he wasn't in the mood for small talk, not while the proverbial elephant was still in the room.

"You're not still jealous, are you?" she added, frustrated when he refused to go along with the subject she'd chosen, "because I haven't seen him in over a year. I chose you, Jack. I left the island with you – I had your baby."

She fell silent again, waiting for him to take the bait and say something; when he still didn't respond, she sighed, crossing to the pile of Izzy's belongings still waiting to be unpacked, fishing out a handful of pastel coloured clothes. Jack watched her for a moment, waiting for her to look at him, but she didn't, concentrating on folding them neatly and transferring them into the dresser with the ones he'd bought.

"Why did you kill Wayne?" he asked finally, when her careful, clinical movements began to irritate him; though she must have known it was coming, the directness of the question seemed to catch her off guard, causing her to drop the sleepsuit she was holding.

She avoided his eyes as she stooped to pick it up, folding it and sliding it into the draw with the others. "This is about Marc, isn't it? The things he was asking?" She tried to keep her voice even, but Jack could tell his words had unnerved her.

"No, this is about us," he corrected her, letting go of his daughter, and standing up. "What's happening, what you're going through, it affects me too – me and Izzy – I have a right to know why."

She slammed the drawer shut, engaging. "No, you don't," she hissed, turning on him; she cringed, glancing at Izzy to make sure she hadn't woken her. When the baby stirred and slept on, she turned back to Jack, lowering her voice as she added, "Just because we're together now doesn't mean I have to tell you every single thing about me. I had a life before you met me – you did too. None of that has anything to do with us."

Jack wanted to snap back, to yell that it did, but he couldn't with Izzy sleeping a few feet away, so he sighed, running a hand over his cropped hair, trying to keep his cool. "I just don't understand why you won't talk about what happened, to me, to Marc – do you want to go to jail? Because you will if you keep everything to yourself."

Her green eyes flashed angrily as she spat back, "What kind of question is that, Jack? If I wanted to go to jail, don't you think I would have turned myself in, instead of running, and making everything worse? Do you really think I want to leave you and Izzy?"

Jack shook his head, his anger fading at the pain in her expression. "No, I don't," he said, going over to put a placating hand on her shoulder. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew better than to try to hug her when she was in this state; he had to wait until she was ready, until the defences started to come down. "I think you're scared, but all I want is the truth, Kate," he told her. "You're going to have to tell a roomful of strangers if this goes to court – why is it so hard to tell me?"

She gave him a hard look, her eyes rimmed with tears. "Because there are some things even you can't fix."

* * *

As I said, fluff next chapter, and a surprising phone call... 


	28. Chapter 28

I hope you all enjoyed The Man From Tallahassee. I'm so jealous! I finally got to see I Do yesterday, and I don't know if it's all the spoilers you've been feeding me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought... I loved the two Jate scenes, especially the one at the end where she's crying that she can't leave him...

Here is the promised fluff, and a little bit of angst. I can't help myself -- it's so much more fun to write!

* * *

Chapter 28. Never That Simple

As much as Jack wanted to pressing the issue, he was afraid that if he did, he'd lose Kate again, that he'd drive her away, for good this time, so he decided to let it go. The truth would come out eventually, it had to; until then, he took solace in knowing that whatever happened to her in the past, she was safe now.

When he woke early the next morning, she was facing the wall, the rigidity of her posture telling him that she was only pretending to be asleep. She didn't stir when he called her name softly, so he moved closer to her, sweeping her hair aside, and nuzzling the side of her neck. She started at his touch, tensing again, trying to hold onto her anger, but it wasn't long before a shiver ran through her, and she rolled over, forcing his lips away from her throat with her own.

"I love you," she told him softly, smiling, when he pulled back to look at her.

"I love you too," he agreed, pushing a strand of hair out her eyes as he leant over her, drinking in every detail. After almost a year of waiting, and hoping, he still couldn't believe that she was there with him in L.A., in his life, and in his bed, again. It still felt like a dream, like at any moment, he was going to wake up and find that she was still gone.

Wanting to be sure that it wasn't, that she was real, he glanced over at the baby monitor on the bedside table. He could hear the faint sound of Izzy's breathing as she inhaled and exhaled lightly, snuffling in her sleep. "How long do you think we have?" he asked when Kate's eyes followed his.

Without waiting for her answer, he pressed his lips to the side of her neck again, kissing the hollow just below her ear.

"Not that long," she said with a sigh, closing her eyes, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

He felt her shift underneath him, not responding to his touch in the the way that he wanted, but seemingly unable to push him away either, so he moved to the other side of her neck, eliciting another little shiver as he asked, "How do you know?" against her throat.

"Call it a maternal instinct," she said, groaning and opening her eyes as, right on cue, Izzy's cry erupted over the monitor.

"She really doesn't want to share you, does she?" Jack waited until their daughter's wails rose to a persistent shriek before releasing Kate, watching, disappointed, as she straightened her pyjamas and climbed out of bed.

"I think it's you she doesn't want to share," she said as she slipped on her bathrobe and opened the door. "She's gotten used to being Daddy's little pet."

"Well, at this rate, she always will be," he agreed as he straightened his own clothes, following her into the nursery.

* * *

Jack didn't have to work again until that evening, so they decided to spend the morning taking Izzy to the beach. She was too young to swim yet, or even support herself to sit in the sand, but they figured she'd enjoy the adventure, so they packed up a picnic and walked down after breakfast.

"I haven't been here since…" Kate started when they arrived, trailing off, staring at the water guiltily.

"I haven't either," Jack agreed softly, squeezing her hand. That day was the last they'd spent together; it was on a beach like this one that she'd told him their relationship wasn't going to work. She would have just fallen pregnant then, but they hadn't known that at the time, or else Jack would never have agreed to let her go. "But none of that matters now," he added quickly, hoping that one day it would be true. "I'm just glad I found you." He lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly, before releasing it.

She gave him a small smile in return, looking down at their daughter, balanced on her hip in a little yellow sundress. "See this, Izzy?" she said, shifting her so that she could get a better view. "This is just like where Mommy and Daddy used to live."

Izzy looked up at her, and then around at the beach happily, shoving her fist into her mouth and sucking it.

"I think that means she likes it," Jack said with a smile, taking Kate's hand again. "That or she's hungry. Where do you want to set up?"

They chose a spot away from the crowd and sat down in the sand, watching the other couples and families around them. As Kate held Izzy upright between her legs, the baby discovered that by kicking her feet, she could stir up little clouds of sand, chuckling to herself, making them laugh too.

"You know, I never thought I'd feel like this," Kate said after a while, taking a bottle of sunscreen out of her bag, and applying it gently to Izzy's fair skin. The baby squealed, writhing in her grip, enjoying the struggle, and the sensation, it seemed.

"Like what?" Jack asked, laughing as Kate wrestled her back into her lap, wrapping an arm around her torso to keep her from falling off. He loved watching them together, seeing the unconscious yet confident way Kate responded to their daughter, as if she really could tell what she was thinking. He knew he should be jealous of the bond they had, but he couldn't help it; every time he saw Kate with Izzy, he was reminded of all of traits that had drawn him to her in the first place.

"Like a family, a real one," she said with a wry smile, setting the sunscreen aside, and kissing the top of Izzy's head. The baby tilted her head back to see where the kiss had come from, giving Kate one of her sunny smiles when she saw her.

"We are a real family," Jack told her, feeling his heart melt a little at the idea. It wasn't something he'd realised was missing from his life until Kate had suggested she was pregnant, but now, as sudden and unplanned as it all was, he couldn't imagine things turning out any other way.

She smiled, looking down at Izzy. "When I was growing up, it was just my mom, and Wayne, and me – it never felt like we were a real family. As much as I hated Wayne, I kept hoping my mom would get pregnant again so that I could have a brother or sister."

She paused, taking Izzy's hands and playing with them gently as she went on, sounding shy all of a sudden, "Do you think… do you think you'd ever want that? To try again? You missed out on so much with Izzy…"

She looked up at him hopefully; Jack didn't even have to consider the question before he knew what his answer would be. "Yeah," he agreed. "When you're free, and everything's settled down, I'd love to have another baby with you."

It was true, he'd missed everything with Izzy; another baby would give him a second chance. This time, he would be able to do all the things other men took for granted, to take Kate to her appointments, and watch their baby grow, to take care of her, and share the moment when they saw their son or daughter for the first time. It wouldn't be the same as being there the first time, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was what he wanted. He wanted a family with her, a real one, with brothers and sisters for Izzy like she'd said.

He watched Kate's smile grow bigger as she remembered their earlier conversation, adding dreamily, "A little boy this time, so Izzy won't feel threatened." As she grinned down at their daughter, smoothing her unruly curls, he could see that she was already trying to imagine their second child.

Letting his own thoughts drift, Jack found that he was smiling too. The idea of having a son scared him less now that he was getting used to being a dad. Already, he was beginning to understand that he didn't have to be his father if he didn't want to; if he worked hard to make himself accessible to his children, to forgive their flaws, and love them unconditionally, he could be the kind of parent he wanted to be.

And if he failed, he had Kate to remind him of that.

They had fallen into a comfortable silence, when Jack's cell phone went off, startling both of them out of their thoughts, and sending Izzy into a fit of anxious tears.

As Kate scooped her up, taking her for a walk down the beach to settle her, Jack fished it out of her bag, praying that he wouldn't have to go in to work.

But it wasn't the chief, it was his mother, her voice cool and unapologetic as she said, "Jack? I checked with Daniel, and you're not working tomorrow night."

"No, I'm not," he agreed, wondering if there was a question in there, one that meant she'd had a change of heart about Kate.

"So then you're free to come to dinner," she continued. It wasn't a request, so much as an order; one he was expected to comply with.

But he couldn't do that, not after their last conversation, and the ultimatum she'd forced him to issue. "I told you mom," he reminded her with a sigh, "I have a family now, so unless the invitation includes them, I won't be able to make it."

Margo was silent for a long moment. "Bring her then," she said, finally, emphasising 'her' as if it were a dirty word; it and everything it connoted. Her tone softened as she added, "And bring the baby – I want to see my granddaughter."

After reminding him that dinner would be served at six, she hung up, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. So she had changed her mind, but not about Kate; she was willing to accept their daughter, Jack's daughter, but not the woman who'd given her life. The woman he loved; the one he was going to marry when things were calm enough to ask her.

He was about to call her back and tell her that that wasn't good enough, that Kate was as much a part of his life as Izzy, when he noticed that she was standing behind him, the baby resting quietly on her hip.

"Don't," she said softly, when she saw the phone still in his hand. "She wants to meet Izzy."

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to meet you," he reminded her bitterly, realising that she'd heard most of what his mother had said. The conversation had been very brief, but it was long enough to make the subtext clear.

Kate stared down at the sand, kicking at a shell with her bare toes. Even though she wouldn't look at him, he could tell that she was fighting back tears. "It's okay, Jack – I never expected her to. She's your mother – no woman will ever be good enough, especially not someone like me."

"Yeah, well, that's because she doesn't know you," Jack said, pulling her into his arms, along with Izzy. She laid her head against his chest, swallowing her tears, but her body still felt stiff, her shoulders only relaxing long enough to let out a heavy sigh.

He tried to let go of his anger, to concentrate on her and Izzy, and how happy they made him, but he couldn't seem to believe his own words, and neither, he knew, did she.

Things with his parents were never that simple.

* * *

Next chapter, the dinner with Margo... 


	29. Chapter 29

Sorry it's been a while since I updated, but I've been away. But I'm back now, with the first half of Jack, Kate and Izzy's dinner with Margo.

What's this I hear about Jack and Kate holding hands in The Man From Tallahassee? Tell me it's true! We're on a three week hiatus at the moment, between 3.06 and 3.07 (I know it's nothing compared to the three months you guys had to suffer through in the US, but you feel my pain I'm sure), so I need details...

* * *

Chapter 29. A Date With Disaster 

When Jack let himself in after his shift the next morning, he was surprised to see light spilling from the bedroom into the apartment. Putting his keys down on the table, he glanced at his watch. It had just gone four; Izzy wouldn't need feeding for at least another hour, so she and Kate should both be asleep.

He felt a surge of panic go through him as he stepped into the room, not lessened by the realisation that it looked like it had been ransacked. "What's going on, Kate?" he asked sharply when he saw her sitting alone on the bed amid the debris, her head resting against her knees, crying quietly. "Are you okay? Izzy?"

At the sound of his voice, she started, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "She's fine – sleeping," she said, wiping them with the back of her hand.

Jack held his breath as he looked over at the monitor, listening, relieved to hear his daughter's soft snuffling come over the speaker. "What about you?" he asked, more gently this time, kneeling on the floor in front of her.

She shook her head, biting her lip as she burst into fresh tears. Feeling his fear return, he reached up and cupped her cheek in his palm, resting his forehead against hers. "It's okay, Kate – whatever it is, we'll deal with it, but I need you to tell me what happened. What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer right away, Jack found his mind filling with unsettling thoughts: Had someone come into their home? Had they hurt her? Had she been caught? Was she leaving again, so soon after she'd arrived?

She shook her head again, stubbornly this time. "You'll think it's stupid."

"So let me think that," he said, frustrated that she wouldn't just come out with it, "Just let me help."

She took a deep breath, composing herself. "I don't have anything to wear," she said softly, staring down at the carpet, looking miserable.

Jack almost laughed in his relief, but seeing how embarrassed she was, he stopped himself. "What are you talking about, Kate? You have plenty of clothes," he pointed out, confused by the intensity of her emotions. He'd never known her to get so upset over something so trivial before, especially at such a ridiculous hour.

"Yeah, jeans," she said bitterly, finally meeting his eyes. "Your mother's the kind of woman who wears pearls and real gold, and goes to DAR meetings – I can't just show up for dinner dressed like myself." She picked a pair of pants up off the bed, glaring at them with hatred, before throwing them onto the floor.

Jack's heart went out to her as she started to sob into her hand again, realising that the issue went beyond her appearance. She was afraid that she wasn't good enough for him, that his mother would reject her, not just because she was a fugitive, but because she didn't fit into his world.

But it wasn't his world, it was his parents'; he'd left it a long time ago.

He climbed up on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. "Hey," he said softly, "You're beautiful, and you're brave, and you're smart, and I love you," he told her, punctuating each of these with a gentle kiss. "If those aren't enough reasons for her to accept you…"

"Then what?" she pressed, her expression tight as she looked up at him. "I don't want to come between you and your mother, Jack. She may be a bitch at times, but she's the only you're ever going to have. Trust me."

Her eyes filled up again as she seemed to think of her own mother, so Jack pulled her closer, rubbing her back as he changed the subject. "You look tired – have you even slept?"

She shook her head. "I tried, but I couldn't stop thinking about dinner…" Resting her cheek against his collarbone, she added, "I never sleep well when you're not with me."

Jack ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her temple softly. "Izzy'll be up soon – why don't we move some of this stuff and try to get some sleep? I'll take you to the mall as soon as it opens."

* * *

"How do I look?" Kate asked timidly, coming into the living room that evening. 

Jack had finished getting himself and his daughter ready, and was sitting on the couch with Izzy in his lap, watching her play with his keys. He glanced up from her at Kate's words, his face splitting into a grin when he saw her.

After spending most of the day at the mall, they'd found a dress that was classy enough that his mother wouldn't find fault with it, but still casual enough that it wouldn't add to Kate's awkwardness. It was black and simple, with a high waist, and a straight skirt that fell to just below her knees, showing off her calves, and the heeled sandals they'd bought to go with it.

Grinning back, she gave a little twirl, showing it off; it shimmered when she moved, bringing out the sparkle in her eyes.

"Amazing," he told her, watching her smile grow as she beamed at him, pleased with the compliment. "What do you think, Izzy?" he asked the baby, drawing her attention away from the keys, which were now in her mouth. "Does Mommy look great or what?"

She gave him a gummy smile, as if to agree, then went back to sucking his car key, making Kate laugh in spite of her nerves. "Mommy feels like a monkey in heels," she cooed in her soft, maternal tone, taking the key ring from her gently, and sliding a pacifier into her mouth so she didn't complain. "The last time I got this dressed up, I was getting married," she added in her normal voice.

She reached for the baby, but Jack stood up from the couch, shifting her onto his hip. "Why don't you let me hold onto her?" he suggested, leading the way out of the apartment. "Unless you want to go to dinner with baby spit all over your dress…"

* * *

Izzy behaved herself, keeping not only Kate's dress, but her own clean as well, but just to be safe, Jack took her out of the car, carrying her up the steps to his mother's front door. He hadn't even finished ringing the bell when he found himself face to face with her forced grin. 

"Jack," she said, coming down to meet him. "So good to see you." She waited for him to kiss her cheek, then looked down at the baby. "And this must be Isobelle. May I?" She held out her arms for her granddaughter, ignoring Kate, who was hovering behind them, waiting to be introduced.

Jack glanced over at her, silently asking her permission, which she granted with a little nod of her head.

"Mom," he began, once Izzy was settled in her arms, her fingers winding their way around her grandmother's pearls, "This—" but she cut him off.

"She's such a little doll, Jack – she has your eyes. And these curls are darling," she said as she reached up to touch the baby's wispy hair. To Jack's surprise, Izzy began to fuss, jerking her head away. She let go of the necklace, putting her fist in her mouth, looking anxious as she searched for him, then Kate.

"She gets those from her mother," he pointed out, reminding her of Kate's presence. He took her hand, smiling reassuringly, but when she tried to smile back, her face was strained and unhappy, mirroring Izzy's. She looked like she wanted to snatch their daughter back and leave; Jack wasn't sure he'd blame her if she did.

His mother glanced up from settling the baby, her eyes flickering over to Kate, taking her in without speaking. "Your grandfather had curly hair when he was young," she told Jack when she'd finished scrutinising her, returning her attention to Izzy as if she wasn't there at all.

* * *

I know, I know -- just when it was getting good, but I've started writing the actual dinner, so if all goes well, and I get enough reviews, I should be able to post it tomorrow... 


	30. Chapter 30

I went over to you tube and watched the infamous pool room scene, and it was awesome! So, so beautiful! (Anyone who still believes in Skate is deluding themselves...) I can't wait to see the full episode!

Yes, I watch Gilmore Girls -- I kind of see Margo as a meaner version of Emily. So there was that influence. But the DAR is real -- you have to be related to someone who helped the US achieve indepedence, so membership is pretty elite. Margo seems like a woman who's proud not only of her husband's family, but her own as well, so it sounded like something she'd be into. She has that whole purebred snob vibe about her -- and Kate's purebred (does that work in this context?) white trash, so it bothers her that she's tainting their bloodline... Not that Jack cares.

As for Marc -- we'll see him again soon. Jack still has to fulfil his second promise...

* * *

Chapter 30. Monster In Law 

Margo didn't cease her hostile treatment of Kate once they were inside, though she did stop ignoring her, in favour of an interrogation.

"So, Kate, is it?" she asked as they took their seats in the dining room, her at one end, Jack on her right, and Kate opposite him. His father's chair, at the head of the table, was noticeably empty.

Kate nodded, shifting uncomfortably now that she had his mother's undivided attention.

"What do you do?"

"Excuse me?" Jack wasn't sure if she was stalling for time, or really didn't understand the question, but she waited for Margo to elaborate, fidgeting with her napkin. It wasn't until she caught his mother's disapproving look that she dropped it into her lap, pursing her lips as she stared down the tablecloth.

"What do you do for a living?" his mother repeated, more carefully this time, as if she thought Kate was a bit slow. "You're what? Twenty-nine? Thirty? You must have had a career before you met my son and got pregnant." She tried to make the question, and the reasoning behind it, sound conversational, but the implication was clear.

Kate opened her mouth to speak, closing it again as the maid entered the room, putting a plate down in front of each of them. She gave her a little smile of thanks, reaching up to take hers, then, seeing the maid shake her head, thought better of it, folding her arms carefully across her chest.

Watching her, seeing how overwhelmed she was by her surroundings, Jack felt a pang of guilt for not sitting her down and explaining how she was expected to behave. As much as he hated all the pretension, it was so normal to him that he'd forgotten how far from most people's experience it was.

"I… um… did a lot of things," Kate said when they were alone, glancing over her shoulder at Izzy, asleep in her capsule on the floor, to avoid his mother's eyes.

"Temp work?" Margo suggested, her voice disdainful. If she thought that doing clerical work was beneath a member of their family, Jack couldn't imagine how she'd react to the information that Kate had once worked on a farm.

Kate licked her lips, considering this. "Yeah – yes," she said after a moment, seeming to decide that the euphemism sounded better than the truth: that she didn't work, and when she did, it was mostly odd jobs and manual labour.

When Margo looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to provide further details, she averted her eyes, staring at her plate without really seeming to see anything on it.

She hadn't touched her food, Jack noticed. She hadn't even picked up her fork.

"It must be nice to have that kind of freedom," his mother said finally, her tone making it clear that she didn't think it would be nice at all. "To flit around, doing whatever you want, never settling to anything – I'm surprised you gave that up."

"Me too," Kate agreed softly, looking over at Izzy, "but I love being a mom."

Margo's lips curled into a predatory smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's one thing we have in common, Kate. Being a mother is the hardest job in the world, but it's also the most rewarding." She leaned towards her as if sharing a secret. "But you know, the job doesn't just end because your child is grown up – you never stop caring, never stop wanting what's best." She looked over at Jack, then back at Kate, the meaning of her gesture not lost on either of them, in spite of her kind tone.

Kate broke eye contact first, staring down into her lap, her lower lip beginning to tremble.

Jack wanted to comfort her, but when he found her ankle with his under the table, brushing against her, she pulled her leg away, tucking it under her chair.

Seeing the smug look on his mother's face, Jack had never hated her as much as he did right then, for trying to get into Kate's head, to convince her that what she was doing was reasonable, that Kate wasn't good enough for him, when it was something he knew she was already afraid of. "That's enough, Mom," he said firmly, his anger increasing as she looked at him, feigning surprise.

"What's the matter, Jack? We're just talking – I thought you wanted us to talk?"

"I want you to respect our relationship," he told her, fighting back the urge to yell. If he did, she would play the martyr, and ignore everything that he said.

"I never said anything about your relationship," she reminded him, doing her best to look affronted by his outburst.

Kate, who had fallen silent again, watching them with a wary expression, seemed to sigh with relief when Izzy began to cry. "Is there somewhere I can go to feed her?" she asked, interrupting, as she stood up, retrieving the baby.

Jack tore his eyes away from his mother long enough to give her directions to his old room. He waited until she was out of earshot to add, "Why are you doing this? Are you trying to scare her off?"

"Someone has to," Margo hissed, dropping the pretence of civility now that they were alone. "She's flighty, uncouth – you might as well have gone into a bar and picked up a woman at random, like Marc. Is that really the kind of woman you want raising your child?"

"If the alternative is someone like you, then yes," he told her, taking off the kid gloves now that he knew what she really thought of Kate. "I love her," he added, softening as he tried to argue his case, "even if she is "flighty" and "uncouth". Her father may not be a doctor, but she's smart, and sweet, and good for me – I don't know how I would have survived on that island without her."

"So you think it was fate that brought you together?" his mother probed.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well, I do, or at least, I know her type," Margo spat, warming to her attack. "The woman has no money, no job, no career prospects – you think it's a coincidence that of all the men on the island, she chose you, a world renowned spinal surgeon with an income most people can only dream about?"

Jack let out a bitter laugh at her words, unknowingly targeted at a part of him that had never fully healed after Sarah. "No, Mom, I don't think it's a coincidence that she chose me," he said. "She loves me."

"Don't be so naive, Jack – of course she wants you to think that she loves you. That's what these women do – they find lonely, career-driven men like you, and they seduce them. She must have known that all she had to do was get pregnant, and you'd do the honourable thing. In fact, I was surprised to see that she doesn't have a ring already."

"Just so I'm not overreacting here – are you telling me that Kate purposely got herself stranded on an island so that she could trick me into marrying her?" Jack asked, so incredulous that he almost laughed. He wondered if his mother knew the truth, about Kate being a fugitive, would she be so quick to believe that all this was part of some master plan.

"No, I think the plane crash was just convenient," she said.

Jack laughed, shaking his head as he ran a hand over his brow. "You know, she was so nervous about coming here that she went out and bought a new dress."

"With your money, I assume?" his mother pressed, seizing the opportunity to get inside his head too, to prove her theory.

"That's not the point," he snapped, losing his temper. "The point is that in all the time I've known her, I'd never even seen her in a dress before tonight. She wanted to make a good impression, because she knew it was important to me, and you won't even give her a chance."

He stopped talking when he heard the front door slam, racing out onto the steps to see Kate storming down the driveway, Izzy bouncing on her hip.

"Where are you going?" he asked when he caught up with her, taking hold of her arm.

She snatched it away, glaring at him through the trails of mascara on her cheeks. She'd been crying; looking closely in the darkness, Jack was pretty sure she still was. "Home."

"At least let me drive you," he said, concerned about leaving her alone in her present state, but she shook her head.

"You've done enough – how could you just sit there and let her humiliate me? You knew I couldn't answer those questions, but you let her keep asking. No wonder she thinks I'm a gold digging whore – why don't you just tell her I blew up my father, and be done with it? Or are you saving that little gem for the third course?"

Jack stared at the drive, cowed, not just by her words, but her tone. It had been a long time since she'd spoken to him like that, but he didn't blame her; she was right, he should have defended her. He shouldn't have waited for her to leave the room. "I'm sorry, Kate," he said, but she shook her head again.

"Don't." She started walking again, scanning the street, for a payphone, he presumed.

Taking out his cell, beat her to it, calling a cab, jogging over to meet her again when he hung up. He knew that she wanted to be alone, but he was determined to see her off safely, even at the risk of incensing her further.

"You're taking Izzy?" he asked awkwardly as he waited with her, expecting another angry retort, surprised when she shoved the diaper bag at him, shifting the baby into his arms.

"You know what? I'd hate to break up your family dinner, so here, you keep her," she said as the cab pulled up alongside them, kissing the top of their daughter's head, her hand lingering on her messy curls. "There're some bottles in there if she gets hungry."

Without another word, she circled the cab, climbing into the back seat, leaving Jack to wonder whether she was really going back to the apartment, or his mother had succeeded in scaring her off for good.

* * *

I know Kate's being unusually submissive in this chapter, but I figure Margo is the one person who can really make her feel inadequate, because she reminds her of why she resisted a relationship with Jack in the first place... 


	31. Chapter 31

Something's going on with this site, which means the alerts are probably going to crash again, so before they do, I'm adding another short chapter to put you all out of your misery.

I won't go into the rest of Jack's to Margo's, but you can bet there was a lot more shouting, during which he repeated his ultimatum about Kate...

* * *

Chapter 31. Do You Regret It? 

The apartment was dark and silent when Jack trudged in, spent, an hour later; balancing his sleeping daughter against his shoulder, he checked each of the rooms, but they were empty. Kate hadn't been home.

Reaching their bedroom, he was pleased to see that her clothes were still in the dresser, but his relief was short lived when it occurred to him that anything could have happened to her since she left his mother's house.

She probably just needed some time alone, he told himself as he changed Izzy into her pyjamas, tucking her into her bassinette, doing his best to ignore the icy panic that clawed at his insides. It wouldn't be the first time she'd taken off without warning, and if they stayed together, it probably wouldn't be the last; he didn't like it, in fact, it drove him crazy, but it was something he'd come to accept.

She'd come back eventually; she had to. All he had to do was wait it out.

Once the baby was settled, he switched on the monitor, and went to take a shower, the steady pulse of the water calming his frayed nerves. Kate still hadn't returned by the time he got out, so he planted himself on the couch in the living room, eyes fixed on the door, listening to the clock.

He'd only been sitting there for half an hour when his lids began to droop, snapping open again at the sound of a key turning in the lock. Seeing the sunlight streaming in from the kitchen, he realised that he'd fallen asleep; it was after eight, less than an hour until he was due to start his next shift.

"Hi," a soft voice said; he looked up to see Kate standing in the doorway, still dressed in her clothes from the night before, her hair loose, make up gone, sandals dangling from her fingers.

As dishevelled as she was, Jack thought she looked even more beautiful then than she had when they left. "Hi," he returned, smiling in spite of himself as he struggled to sit up. "I missed you last night."

"Me too." She dropped her shoes by the door, crossing to him, settling on the couch with her head tucked under his chin.

"Where did you go?" he asked tentatively, stroking her hair with his fingertips as she curled her hands against his chest.

"To the airport – I was going to see my dad, but I couldn't figure out how to get past security," she confessed, looking up at him guiltily as she added, "I was always going to come back, but I needed to get away for a while, just to see if I still could."

"And?" he asked, sensing that there was more to the story, something she was trying to tell him. He found that he was holding his breath, waiting for her response.

"And, the whole time I was sitting there, all I could think about was you and Izzy, and how much I missed you," she told him, her eyes growing wet, "and how much I wanted that baby we were talking about. I don't want to run again, Jack – I don't think I could survive it."

Jack let out the breath he was holding, his hand going up to her cheek, kissing her softly, his face resting lightly against hers. "You won't have to," he said, wiping her tears away with his thumb, "because I'm going to talk to Marc, and we're going to figure something out." He fixed his eyes on hers firmly as he added, "I'm not kidding, Kate – I'll run with you again if I have to, but when you leave like that, it scares me. I don't want to have to go through that anymore."

Without moving away, she hung her head, staring down at his chest. "I'm sorry, I just – I needed some time to think. All that stuff your mother said – it threw me."

"That's ridiculous," he told her, fighting back the urge to laugh, "I've never even considered the possibility that you were after my money, Kate. I love Izzy – I'm glad we had her, and I know you are too, but given the circumstances, I don't think you meant for her to happen any more than I did. In fact, I know you didn't, because you were the one who started insisting we be careful."

"It wasn't just that," she said quietly, "it was what she said about me giving up my freedom. She's right – it scares me sometimes, how much my life has changed since I met you."

Jack swallowed hard, afraid to ask the next question. "Do you regret it?"

She bit her lip, staring down at the carpet. "Which part?"

"All of it – meeting me, getting pregnant, moving here…" he prompted, needing to hear that she didn't, but at the same time, needing the truth. He wanted her, more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life, but only if she felt the same way.

She was silent for a long moment, before she seemed to find the courage to meet his eyes. "No," she said finally, decisively, "that's why I came back."

* * *

Next chapter: Marc! 


	32. Chapter 32

Glad I'm not the only one getting frustrated with this site. Can any one else read their reviews? 'Cause I can't, except through my inbox...

You guys didn't really think Kate was going to abandon her child, did you?!

Without giving too much away, we haven't heard the last of Margo, so there is a chance that we may get to see more of her and Izzy together. Christmas is coming up, and if you remember, she spent it alone last year...

Izzy should be getting close to three months by now, AlwaysDizzy. I know their treatment of her isn't always consistent with a real baby -- I don't have a lot of dealings with them, so I forget how young she is sometimes. I'm actually starting to wish I'd made her older, but I wanted the year thing... Oh, and Kate wasn't running, more like walking briskly. It was the heels making her bounce...

I have no idea how much longer this story is going to be, mcanj. It's winding down now, but every time I think I'm on the home stretch, I come up with a new idea. This chapter definitely marks the beginning of the end, though...

* * *

Chapter 32. An Idea 

As hard as he tried, Jack couldn't seem to get the conversation he'd had with Kate that morning out of his head; even when he was at work, it kept pulling his focus, so he stopped by Marc's office on the way home from his rounds.

His friend was sitting at his desk, shuffling through some papers when he sat down, but he looked up as soon as he heard him. "Hey, man – long time no see. How's family life treatin' ya? The kid keeping you awake?"

Jack laughed, giving his friend a wry smile. "She's great, Kate's great – apart from my mother, everything's great." He ran a hand over his cropped hair, growing serious again. "That's actually what I came here to talk to you about."

When, sensing the shift in his tone, Marc closed the file he was working on, crossing his arms as he waited for him to continue, he added, "I was hoping you'd come up with something by now."

Avoiding Jack's eyes, Marc was silent for a long moment as he shoved the folder into his briefcase, switching off his lamp. "Why don't we go get a drink?" he said finally, causing Jack to wonder what his friend had to tell him that was so bad that he felt the need to temper it with alcohol. The last time Marc had taken him to a bar to finish a conversation was about a month before the crash, when he'd broken the news that he'd seen Sarah with the guy she'd left Jack for.

"Marc—" he began, wanting him to stop avoiding the question, but his friend cut him off.

"Just humour me, okay man?" he said, dropping his jovial tone, his voice firm, making it clear that he wasn't going to budge.

After thirty years of friendship, Jack knew him well enough to know that now was not the time to argue, so he nodded, watching impatiently as his friend shut off the lights, setting the security system and locking up.

Outside, Marc threw his briefcase into his car, leading him down the street, past a row of shops, restaurants and office buildings, to the bar where Jack had often met him after work. As they walked, he made small talk, filling Jack in on the case he was working on, and asking about Jack's dinner with Margo, waiting until they were seated at a private booth to pick up the subject again.

"Here's the thing," he said, lowering his voice as a barmaid walked by, piling empty glasses onto her tray; Jack saw him check her out briefly before returning his attention to the conversation at hand, "whatever we do, we're taking a pretty big chance. I need you to understand that before we go any further."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, confused at the way his friend seemed to be trying to talk him out of what he thought they'd already agreed on. "You said motive was the thing that was going to make or break our case – shouldn't we wait for Kate to explain hers before we decide whether or not we're gambling with her future? They can't convict her if she's the victim in all this." Feeling his blood pressure begin to rise at what he thought Marc was saying, he took a deep breath, swallowing his anger before he found himself venting it at his friend.

"Normally, yes, you'd be right," Marc agreed, looking down at his beer. "The law is designed to protect victims, even when they've committed a crime themselves, but I'm concerned that if we go to trial, all that's going to matter is that she ran – more than once, if what she told me is correct." He licked his lips, meeting Jack's eyes again with a sympathetic smile. "You gotta admit – that doesn't look good, not to anyone who's not gonna get the chance to know her like you do."

Jack ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head in frustration. "So you're saying there's nothing you can do?" he asked bitterly, fighting the urge to storm out of the bar. Marc was his best friend; he wasn't supposed to give up.

"No," his friend said patiently, giving him a meaningful look, as if he were telling him something he shouldn't, "I'm saying that coming forward probably isn't your best option right now – not unless you want to take the risk of depriving your kid of her mother."

"You really think we're going to lose?" Jack asked, feeling all of the fight go out of him in his defeat. It was hopeless then. Like Sawyer, Marc was honest to the point of brutality; if he claimed that the odds of Kate getting off were that poor, then they probably were. This was him being nice, so they were probably worse.

Marc shook his head. "I don't know," he said as gently as he could, "maybe, maybe not, but if there's even a chance that she's the one, I don't want you losing her on my head. Our friendship's strong, but it's not that strong, man."

"So does this mean you have another idea?" Jack asked hopefully. "One that keeps Kate from having to turn herself in? Because I've got to tell you – any suggestion you can make is welcome at this point. I'd even take moving to Mexico."

He meant it as a joke, but Marc didn't laugh, grinning smugly instead. "Yeah," he said, looking pleased with himself as he added, "I've got an idea – how much do you know about extradition law?"

* * *

I should point out that Marc's idea was not entirely my own -- I was inspired by something NYR88 said about The Edge of the Ocean, so thanks... 

Next chapter(s): some fluff, a time jump, and Christmas...


	33. Chapter 33

Yay! Five more reviews and I beat my new record! (I only compete with myself now, otherwise it's too disheartening...)

I'm glad you all like the plan so far. Kate might be able to get off in the world of the show, but in this story, she's run one too many times...

I promised you fluff, so here we have big time Jate fluff, with no interruptions from Izzy... Lost isn't on tonight here (three damn weeks -- that means we'll be three more weeks behind!), so I know I needed it... I've been watching that clip from The Man From Tallahassee to get my Lost/Jate fix...

* * *

Chapter 33. Someone To Come Home To

Driving home from his meeting with Marc, Jack felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to enjoy the strange, but not unwelcome, path his life had taken for the first time since the crash. The weeks ahead wouldn't be easy; they still had a lot of planning to do, but it seemed as if there might still be a few safe places left in the world, where no one, not even the law, could touch them. Marc had given him a list, and while most of their options weren't what he would have chosen himself, there was one or two he thought they could make work.

Once he found a way to get Kate out of the government's reach, they could get married, buy a house, finish their family, have the normal life they both craved, living out the rest of their days in peace, without the fear of her past catching up with them. She wouldn't have to go to jail, and he wouldn't have to give up his career to go on the run, just put it on the backburner a little. It was for the best, really; without that distraction, he could concentrate on being the husband and father he wanted to be, instead of the distant, neglectful man he'd turned into with Sarah. Izzy could go to school, and college if she wanted to; she wouldn't have to pay for their love, or her mother's mistakes.

Kate was in the kitchen, trying to cook, when Jack entered the apartment; he guessed she was still feeling guilty about trying to leave, but he was too happy to let that bother him now. It wouldn't be long before that issue was non-existent for them, before he never had to worry about losing her or their daughter again.

Dropping his keys on the counter, he scooped her up in his arms when she turned to greet him, enjoying her look of surprise.

"You're in a good mood," she said, laughing, as he peppered her lips with small, quick kisses, bracing her hands against his shoulders, and wrapping her legs around his waist for support.

"I've decided I like having someone to come home to," he told her when he stopped, breathless, leaning his forehead against hers. "Especially if that someone is you." He watched her flush with happiness at his words, not mentioning that he'd found a way to make sure that the situation stayed permanent; he wanted to be sure that Marc's theory checked out before he got her hopes up again.

"You would've had dinner too," she told him with a sheepish grin, sliding her arms around his neck, "but I suck at all this domestic stuff. I can change a diaper – that's about it."

He pulled her closer, moving in so that their lips were brushing against each other. "That's okay – we can order in later," he murmured, sneaking in a brief kiss. "Right now, I'm more interested in having you."

She laughed again, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "Don't you want to take a shower or something first?" she asked when she lifted it, the corners of her mouth still quirking with amusement.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, noticing, not for the first time, how cute she was when she laughed. If everything went according to plan, he was determined to spend the rest of his life bringing out that smile. "Not unless you come with me," he told her, grinning when he elicited another giggle.

"I took one at the hospital before I left," he explained, tucking a loose bang tenderly behind her ear. He felt a little thrill, looking into her eyes, seeing the way they sparkled with happiness, knowing that he was the cause of it. She deserved this; they both did.

She shifted closer to him, so that their bodies were touching, casting her eyes in the direction of the nursery. "Izzy's asleep," she informed him, all seriousness now. "I just put her down, so she should be out for a while." She whispered these last words against his ear, her breath warm and inviting, pulling back to give him a suggestive smile.

"In that case…" He returned her grin as he reached around to switch off the stove, tightening his grip on her as he carried her swiftly in the direction of the bedroom. She had his shirt off before they'd even reached the door, casting it to the floor as she pressed soft, wet kisses all over his collar.


	34. Chapter 34

It's late, and I'm really tired, so just another short chapter today. I don't know why, but I don't feel like it's up to my usual standard, although that's for you guys to decide. I think I'm starting to burn out...

I'm glad you liked the fluff - it's Christmas, so there should be more in upcoming chapters...

* * *

Chapter 34. Disappointment

It wasn't easy, but over the next few days, Jack managed to keep his plan a secret from Kate as he began making preparations with Marc. He was sure she was going to start asking questions when he went over to his friend's apartment for the fourth time in as many days, but she didn't, though he could tell that she was beginning to feel neglected. She didn't say as much, but her face fell each time he came home to change and left again, and he began to worry that she thought he'd changed his mind. Seeing her disappointment at being left alone so often, he vowed to make it up to her and Izzy as soon as everything was in place, but until he could be sure that it wouldn't fall through, he decided that it was better for both of them if she remained in the dark. He'd hurt her less that way.

After a week of wounded looks, it was a relief to him when, on Christmas Eve, the last detail of his plan came together, because it meant that he could finally let her in on what it was that was keeping him away from her.

Every time they talked about the holidays, Kate insisted that she wanted to keep things low key, but after coming home late every night that week, and fighting with her last year, Jack felt he owed it to her to do something special, so he got Marc to help him set up a real Christmas tree in the living room. Watching them from the couch with Izzy, she protested that it was just going to die and leave pine needles all over the carpet, but later that night, when she thought he couldn't see her, he caught her admiring it, her eyes shining with happy tears.

Seeing the childlike joy that flickered over her face as she pointed it out to Izzy, Jack wondered what her Christmases must have been like growing up, alone in that house with her mother and Wayne. The look on her face convinced him that she'd never had a proper tree before, which he thought explained why she claimed to hate Christmas so much; it was just another way for people to disappoint her, another reminder of how crappy her life was.

But all that was going to change; he was going to make sure of it. From now on, things would be better, for all of them.

He woke her early the next morning, eager to start the day. She groaned when he poked her shoulder gently, calling her name, waiting until he leaned over to kiss her to open her eyes.

"Jesus, Jack," she said, squinting up at him when he pulled away, "you're like a little kid. I can just see you racing Izzy to the presents in a couple of years." She frowned, giving him a mock dubious look. "You don't still believe in Santa, do you? Because if you do, I have something to tell you…"

"Ha ha," he said, ignoring her smirk as he kissed her again, lying back down beside her. "Bah humbug all you want, but you know, if you give it a chance, you might find you actually enjoy it."

"Is Hallmark paying you?" she asked, still frowning, her tone cynical, though he could see the beginnings of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Or are you just the Ghost of Christmas Past, sent to show me the error of my ways?" She grinned, still teasing him, her jovial tone belying the pain he knew resided underneath.

He laughed good-naturedly at her joke, propping himself up on one elbow so that he could study her expression. Even though her lips were curved into a smile, her eyes had that closed off look that meant she was only pretending to be happy to get him off her back. "Come on, Kate – do you really want Izzy to see you like this?" he asked, wondering if this was the way it was always going to be, her fighting him at every turn because she was afraid of getting hurt like she had in the past.

"She's three months old, Jack," she protested, "all she understands is food, comfort and sleep – it's gonna be a while before she starts hounding us about bikes and ponies and all that other stuff kids ask for."

It was like trying to a reason with a petulant child; Jack sighed, deciding to try a different tactic. "Do you really want your dad to see you like this?"

She stopped frowning, her expression morphing into one of confusion. "What?"

"Your dad," he repeated, pleased that he finally had her attention. "He flew in late last night, didn't want to put us out, so he's staying at a motel. It was supposed to be a surprise, but if it gets you out of bed…"

His words had the desired effect, snapping her out of her disagreeable mood. "He's really here?" she asked, dragging herself into a sitting position.

"He's really here," he agreed, grinning as her face lit up with excitement.

"When you said we could bring him here, I thought you were just trying to make me feel better," she confessed, her eyes filling with what he hoped were happy tears.

He sat up beside her, cupping her face in his hands. "You should know me better than that by now – I never promise anything unless I really mean it," he told her, eager for Sam to arrive so that he could show her how serious he was on this point. Once she understood what he had in store for them, she would see that, in light of the circumstances, keeping this promise was particularly important, because he didn't know how long it would be before they saw each other again.

"I know," she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck, settling against him when he hugged her back, "that's one of the things I love most about you – you're the one person in my life who never disappoints me."

* * *

Next chapter: Sam's arrival, and Jack unveils his plan... 


	35. Chapter 35

I'm feeling a little less burnt out now that the end is in sight. I really want to write another fic after this, but I may have to take a break, not the least of all because I'm running out of ideas (I could think of a million post rescue /Jaby stories, but I'm not sure I want to write another one of either), and have to get some uni work done some time in the near future. I've been thinking about doing something on island next though, maybe mythology based, either in late season three, with Juliet, or season two, with Ana...

I know you're all dying to see what's Jack's been up to, so here it is, the chapter that reveals all. And no, it has nothing to do with Guatemala... ;)

* * *

Chapter 35. I Do

Sam arrived a little over an hour later, while they were making breakfast, his sharp rap sending Kate scurrying to answer the door. Wanting to give her a few moments alone with her father, Jack took his time collecting Izzy from her seat on the table, following her into the other room at a more reasonable pace.

They were still standing in the entry, Sam's hands on Kate's shoulders, speaking to her softly, but he looked up when he heard Jack come in, offering him a friendly smile. "Morning, son – Merry Christmas," he said, releasing Kate so that he could shake Jack's hand as he returned the sentiment.

"And Merry Christmas to you too, Izzy – Merry first Christmas," he added affectionately as he took the baby from Jack, settling her against his chest. "I brought something for you – the first of many." Propping her up so that she could see better, he pointed to a red and green package on the table by the door. She cast her eyes in that direction, following the movement of his hand, looking up at him, gurgling happily, oblivious to anything accept the attention she was getting from him.

"You didn't have to do that, Daddy," Kate said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "We're just glad you came – but thank you."

He smiled at her, nodding as if to say "you're welcome", then looked back down at the baby, watching her as she lay contentedly in his arms. "She's gotten so big since you left – she's looking more and more like you every day, Katie." He met her eyes again, his voice teasing as he added, "Won't be long before she starts getting all those cute little freckles you had as a kid – still have, if I'm not mistaken."

Kate's cheeks flushed pink, covering the offending freckles as she laughed, swatting his arm lightly. "I'm twenty-eight years old, Dad – you don't get to call me cute anymore."

"You could be a hundred," he told her, his eyes twinkling mischievously, "and I could be a hundred and thirty, and I'd still think you were adorable – father's prerogative," he finished, giving Jack a knowing look. "Ask Jack in a couple of years, when your little girl's all grown up, and I'm sure he'll tell you the same thing."

* * *

After they'd finished breakfast, when the plates had been cleared, and the dishes done, Jack took Kate's hand, guiding her out into the hall. 

"Come with me," he instructed, not offering her anything more, his cryptic words earning him a quizzical look as he helped her into her coat.

"Where are we going?" she asked, sounding dubious as she stepped into her shoes and followed him to the lift. "What about Izzy?"

"Your dad's going to watch her for us," he told her, pumping the button, and pulling her in once the doors slid open. "She'll be fine," he added when she opened her mouth to protest, still looking reluctant to leave the building. "He's good with her, remember?"

He grinned back at her as her lips quirked into a smile, the realisation dawning on her that he was using her words, the first she'd ever spoken to him about their daughter.

"I guess she will be," she agreed, relaxing a little, enough to lean against the wall, studying him curiously. "So where are we going? You never answered my question."

"That's because it's a surprise," he told her, amused by the frustration that flickered over her face.

"You can't just tell me?" She tried to sound annoyed, fixing him with a defiant stare, but her eyes were sparkling; he laughed at her impatience, kissing the tip of her nose, which was scrunched up in distaste.

"No, I can't, or it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

When he parked the car at the marina ten minutes later, she looked out at the ocean, then back at him, confused. "I don't get it – why are we looking at boats?" 

Jack gave her what he hoped was a mysterious smile, unbuckling his seatbelt, and climbing out, waiting for her to do the same.

She let him take her hand again, and together they walked along the narrow pathways, until they found the berth that held what it was that he wanted to show her.

"Is that…?" she asked when they stopped, looking at him incredulously, moving around the boat so that she could read the name scrawled across the hull.

_Elizabeth_.

"Yeah," he agreed, grinning at her. "I tracked it down, convinced the people you sold it to to let me buy it back." It hadn't been easy, especially without her help, but it was worth it to see the look of amazement on her face.

"Why?" she asked, turning back to him after a long moment. "I mean I know we spent a lot of time on it, and Izzy…" she trailed off, blushing slightly, leaving the thought unfinished. "But that's not what this is about, is it? You getting all nostalgic and sentimental?"

"A little," he agreed, knowing that this was part of the reason he'd gone looking for the boat; it would have made more sense buy something newer given the journey he had in mind, "but I was also hoping we could use it to get to Bali."

"Bali?" she repeated, studying his face carefully, as if trying to gauge how serious he was. "You mean for a vacation?"

"No," he told her slowly, "I mean forever."

Her mouth fell open again, her dumbfounded look returning. "You want us to move to Bali?"

"It's kind of sudden, I know," he began apologetically, afraid that she was going to shoot him down before he had the chance to finish explaining, "but Marc and I did some research, and we don't have an extradition treaty with Indonesia. All we have to do is get there, and you'll be safe – we all will. We can have a normal life – I can get a job at another hospital, and we can get married, and have as many babies as we want, and do all of the things we've been talking about so long as we stay there."

He stopped when he saw that her eyes had filled with tears; he could tell by her anguished expression that they weren't the happy kind he'd been hoping for. "What's wrong, Kate?" he asked, worrying that maybe Kevin had been right all along, that she wasn't as serious about settling down as she claimed, at least not with him. "I thought this was what you wanted?"

"It is," she agreed, her tone convincing enough to relieve him of the worst of his fears. "Why didn't we know this a year ago, Jack?" She tried, and failed, to prevent a sob from escaping as she added, "We were there, and we left – we would've been safe…"

It was the same thought that had occurred to Jack when he first saw it on the list, replaying over and over in his head until he was forced to shut it out. "We can't change that now," he told her gently, pulling her into a tight hug, as much for himself as for her, "if we could, we might not have Izzy." It was this idea, more than any other, that had helped him move past his own regret; he hoped it would do the same for her.

She nodded, settling against him, her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes. "You said there was a list – why Bali?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I chose it because it reminded me of the island – because we were happy there, before all that stuff with Kevin."

She nodded again, smiling ruefully through the sheen of her tears. "You're giving me my life back, Jack – this is the best gift anyone's ever given me, and I don't have anything for you," she confessed. "I tried to think of something, but nothing was good enough…"

"That's okay," he told her, tightening his arms around her waist, his forehead bowed against hers, "just tell me you want this as much as I do, and you will have given me everything I've ever wanted."

It might have sounded corny, but it was the truth: not only had she given him a beautiful little girl, and some of the best memories of his life, but she'd also given him the love and support he'd never received from his own family, not even his first wife. So long as that didn't change, there was nothing more he could ask for.

For once, she didn't hold back, or hesitate in her answer as she said, "I do, Jack – I really do."

* * *

Ha! Did I psych you out with the chapter title? As you can see, the reason Jack hasn't been home much is because he's been researching the whole thing with Marc, and working out the logistics, on top of his long hours at the hospital... Plus trying to track down the boat -- it was such a huge part of this story that it just didn't feel right for him to buy another one! 

I've only got a few more chapters planned after this -- the next one should provide resolution to the whole Margo situation...


	36. Chapter 36

So glad you all liked Jack's plan. I was thinking, and it's probably for the best that they left Bali the first time -- if they hadn't, they still wouldn't have any money, and everyone would think they were dead, so they never would have been able to make amends with their families...

I'm wrapping everything up now, so if there's any loose ends you want to address, let me know, and I'll try to incorporate them...

* * *

Chapter 36. A Truce

When Jack pulled into his space in front of their building a while later, there was a red Mercedes parked beside Sam's rental.

"That's my Mom's car," he told Kate as he climbed out to inspect the plates, mystified as to what business his mother could possibly have with him. The last time he'd seen her, she'd more or less thrown his ultimatum back at him, forcing him to choose between his relationship with her, and the one he had with Kate.

He hadn't wanted to, but backed into a corner, he'd made his decision.

That was over a week ago; she hadn't been in contact with him since.

"She probably heard we were fleeing the country, and came to talk you out of it," Kate said bitterly, looking apprehensive as she got out, following him in the direction of their apartment. "Although I'm sure she wouldn't mind me being on the other side of the world, so long as you got Izzy."

She tried to make it sound like a feeble attempt at humour, but Jack could tell there was an underlying note of seriousness to what she was saying, so he pulled her to a stop, turning to face her. "Hey," he said, nudging her chin gently with his knuckles, forcing her to look at him, "she's in our home now – if she has a problem with you, she can leave."

She gave him a wary smile as she started walking again. "Whatever you say, Jack."

"I mean it, Kate," he told her, taking hold of her wrist to stop her again. "You were right – I should have defended you the other night. I can't do anything about that now, but if she starts on you again… You're my family now, as much as she is. If she wants a relationship with me and Izzy, she's going to have to get used to that."

She nodded, her expression still a little dubious, but he could see that there was gratitude mixed in there too now. She wanted to believe him, she almost did, but first, she needed him to prove that he wasn't going to abandon her this time.

"I won't let her insult you again, I promise," he told her to reaffirm what he'd said, sliding his arm around her waist to reassure her as they headed up to their floor.

The hall was empty when they reached their apartment, so Jack unlocked the door, pausing at the sound of two familiar, but incongruous, voices coming from the kitchen. Raising a quizzical eyebrow at Kate, he started towards them with her on his heels, stepping into the room to find his mother at the table, drinking coffee with Sam, Izzy settled comfortably on her lap.

"Jack," she said, aborting the conversation abruptly, seemingly startled by his sudden appearance. She collected herself, adding, with her usual poise, "I hope you don't mind that I decided to drop by."

Offering him a weak smile, her gaze shifted to Kate, her expression softening only slightly from what it had been the other night at dinner. "Your father was just showing me the pictures he took of Isobelle while you were staying with him, Kate," she explained, doing her best to adopt a friendly tone, though her voice was still unconvincingly cold. "I told him he has to send me copies. She's such an attractive baby – I can't wait for my friends to see her."

Looking Margo, to her father, and back again, Kate returned her smile with something more akin to a grimace; Jack could almost see the gears turning in her head as she searched his mother's words for hidden jabs.

There were none that Jack could recognise – in fact, her words were probably the nicest she'd ever spoken to Kate – but after her display the other night, he wasn't convinced that his mother was capable of changing her mind so completely, so he cleared his throat, giving her a pointed look. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Mom?"

"Of course, Jack," she said kindly, feigning ignorance, putting on a show for Sam he was pretty sure. "What did you want to talk about?"

"In the living room," he added, ignoring her, his voice firm enough to make her take notice this time.

Her lips curled into a disgruntled scowl as she nodded, rising to her feet, passing the baby to Kate as she followed him out of the room.

Once they were alone, Jack gestured for her to sit down, lowering his voice so that Kate and her father couldn't hear him. "What's going on Mom?" he asked when she was seated on the edge of the couch. "The last time I saw you, you pretty much told me you were going to disinherit me if I kept seeing Kate, and now you're hanging out with her dad?"

"I wasn't "hanging out" with her father – I was just being polite, since you didn't bother to inform me that you had company." Returning to his original question now that that had been established, she explained, "It's Christmas – I wanted to see my son," as if it were unreasonable for him to even ask. She couldn't seem to resist having another go at him as she added, "Especially since he was too busy gallivanting around the world, pretending to have been killed in a plane crash to even send me a card last year."

They'd had this conversation before, countless times since he returned to L.A. "I told you, Mom – it was complicated," he reminded her with a sigh, wishing that she would just forgive him already so that they could both get on with their lives. Since he'd never been able to offer her much of an excuse, though, he was pretty sure that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Complicated like you moving to Bali?" she returned, shocking him into silence. He was still trying to figure out how to break that piece of news to her, in light of everything she'd said about him running away from his responsibilities.

Off his startled look, she added, "Imagine my surprise when I heard it from a complete stranger – a man I'd never even heard of before today. I know we haven't always gotten along, Jack, but I didn't think you hated me that much. You must really want to get away from me if you're moving halfway around the world to do it."

Hearing these words, Jack was reminded of why he hadn't wanted to tell her in the first place. "Me moving to Bali has nothing to do with you," he corrected her, sighing as he realised that she'd effectively back him into another corner. He would have to tell her the whole truth now, or she would think he was just trying to spare her feelings by arguing.

"Then what does it have to do with?" she asked, right one cue. "The medical facilities in there are practically third world – you're clearly not going to advance your career."

"If the hospitals are as bad as you say, then maybe they need me," he said feebly, stalling for time as he tried to come up with an answer that didn't sink Kate's standing with her even further. If she'd disliked her when she thought she was a gold-digging social climber, how much more would she hate her when she learned she was a fugitive?

"Maybe," Margo allowed, "but that's not why you're going, is it?" She gave him a hard, no-nonsense look as she added, "I know this sudden, spur of the moment decision has something to do with Kate. You didn't want to leave the country a few weeks ago."

Jack took a deep breath, steeling himself for her reaction. "We're moving to Bali because Indonesia doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US," he admitted finally, massaging his forehead with one hand.

He waited a moment, then looked up at her, watching her mouth fall open in surprise.

"Why would that…? Oh…" she trailed off as she realised what it was that he was hinting at. "Please tell me this woman isn't another one of your projects, Jack."

"Of course not," he snapped, angered by her description, not just of his relationship with Kate, but Sarah as well. He never consciously set out to bestow pity on anyone, least of all the women he loved. "But she's in trouble, and this is the only way I can think of to get her out of it."

His mother inhaled sharply at his use of the word "trouble", giving him a reproachful look. "What sort of trouble?" she asked, softening slightly as she added, "Marc's a lawyer – you didn't think to consult him?"

"It was his idea. He doesn't want to risk of a conviction."

She paused for a moment, considering this. Jack was surprised that she was able to remain so calm given that he'd just told her he was bringing a wanted criminal into her previously respectable family. "What are the charges?" she asked. When he didn't answer right away, she repeated the question, more insistently this time. "What are the charges, Jack? I'm your mother, I have a right to know what it is you're getting yourself mixed up in."

"Murder. She's wanted for murder." Jack closed his eyes, waiting for her to start berating him, but she didn't.

When he opened them again, he could see the little vein bulging in her forehead as she suppressed her outrage, offering him the chance to provide a more substantial explanation.

"Sam's not her biological father," he went on, hoping to alleviate Kate's guilt a little in her mind, "her real father was a drunk named Wayne. He used to beat up her mother, and I think—" he heard his voice waver a little as he was forced to dredge up something he'd been trying to forget "—she won't tell me – but I think he hurt her too. A couple of years ago, when she found out the truth, she blew up her parents' house while he was asleep inside."

"Jack…"

"I know," he cut in, playing devil's advocate as he added, "I'm a fool for getting involved, but she's not a bad person, Mom. She doesn't deserve to go to jail. I just wish there was some way you could see what I see – some way you could see how great she is."

She was silent for a disconcertingly long moment, staring at the carpet, considering what he'd said. "I'm not sure I'll ever understand why," she began finally, looking up at him, choosing each word carefully as if afraid of alienating him further, "when you could have any woman you wanted, you chose this one, but I can see that you really believe that, so I won't stand in your way anymore.

"I can't promise you that I'll like her, but I will respect her, if that's what takes to preserve our relationship. Contrary to what you might think, Jack, I do want what's best for you – I always have. I want you to be happy – you just have to give me some time."


	37. Chapter 37

Where'd everyone go? I'm starting to worry that you're losing interest with only three more chapters left...

I know you all wanted Margo to come around, but I don't think it's in her nature to back down completely. She is willing to try to get to know Kate though, which is something. She might even like her.

I couldn't finish the fic without bringing Marc back, so here he is one last time.

By the way, I have a myspace account now under my pen name, so if any of you guys want to come say hi, let me know who you are, and I'll be sure to add you to my friends. I'm thinking of putting samples of some of my original stuff up, but I don't know...

* * *

Chapter 37. Off On Another Big Adventure 

Sam stayed until the New Year to help them pack, keeping Kate company over the holidays while Jack was stuck at the hospital. After renewing her bond with him in the months since Izzy's birth, she cried when he left, moping around the apartment, but while Jack knew that she was sorry to be leaving him behind, now that the danger had almost passed, he could see that she was impatient to get out of the country.

While he would have loved to jump on the boat and go as soon as the arrangements were made, his loyalty to the chief prevented him from taking off without warning, so they set the date of their departure for January thirty first, exactly a month after Jack had given in his notice.

But as the day they were due to leave drew nearer, Jack couldn't help regretting his decision. The longer they waited, the more he began to worry that it was all too easy, that they would get caught, that something would happen to kill their happiness again; he was so busy psyching himself out of going that when the morning finally arrived, he almost couldn't find it in himself to muster his enthusiasm.

Just after eight, as they were preparing to down head to the marina, he thought his worst fears had been confirmed when he heard a loud knock at the door. Convinced that the Feds had discovered their plans, dread flooded through him as he cracked it open, but it was only Marc.

They'd already said goodbye over drinks the night before, so Jack was surprised to see him again so soon.

"Off on your big adventure?" he asked with a smirk as his eyes fell on the jumble of bags in the living room.

"Adventure is right," Jack told him, returning his friend's grin as he stepped aside to let him into the apartment. "Exactly what part of sailing across the Pacific with a four month old baby seemed like a good idea at the time?"

"You'll be fine – she's a good kid," Marc reminded him, his affectionate smile turning self-deprecating as he added, "Tell they're all like that and I might be persuaded to want one one day."

Jack laughed, unable to resist poking fun at his friend's self-imposed life as a bachelor; for all of his quips about commitment, he knew Marc envied what he had with Kate. "You'd have to find a woman you can stand to be around for more than a few days first," he told him.

"Easy for you to say – if we weren't friends, you might have some competition." Marc flashed him a lop-sided grin to show Jack that he had nothing to worry about, falling silent as Kate wandered into the room with Izzy.

She and Marc exchanged greetings while she rummaged through Izzy's bag, collecting a fresh diaper and sleepsuit before heading back into the bedroom to finish getting the baby ready.

When she was out of earshot, Marc added, looking thoughtful, "You know, part of me still can't believe you're crazy enough to try this – you who was always too much of a square to cut class with me in high school." He smirked, his voice teasing. "But I guess that's what happens when a straight-laced spinal surgeon falls in love with a fugitive."

Getting the smile he was after, his seriousness returned, his tone growing sober again. "But the other part of me knows how committed you are. You don't do things by halves, man. I just hope it all works out."

"If it does, I have you to thank," Jack told him, returning his grin.

* * *

Between the three of them, they had too much stuff to carry, so Marc gave them a lift to the marina. Kate had her hands full with Izzy, so when they arrived, he helped Jack load their bags onto the boat, standing quietly beside him on the dock when they were done. 

It was a strange moment; after knowing him for so long, Jack found it hard to believe that they wouldn't be seeing each other every day anymore. Aside from his parents, Marc had been the most constant person in his life since childhood, more like a brother than even a close friend.

Jack was just trying to figure out how to say goodbye to him, when Kate saved him from having to break the silence by crossing to Marc's side, giving him an awkward one-armed hug. "Jack told me this was your idea," she said, stepping back to offer him a grateful smile. "I don't think you'll ever know how much this means to me – to us – but if there's ever anything…" she trailed off once she'd made her point, beaming at him as he grinned back.

"Just take good care of my buddy here," he said, clapping Jack on the shoulder. "Make sure he doesn't work too hard…"

She laughed, nodding, her eyes growing serious. "I will," she promised. She looked over at Jack, smiling softly. "I always do."

Jack returned her smile, thinking, not for the first time, how lucky he was to have her in his life. She was right; she always took care of him, whether he wanted her to or not.

He could hear his friend's voice wavering as he turned away from Kate, facing him. "And you – you just enjoy this, man. God knows you've earned it," he said, hugging him for a moment, before releasing him with a slap on the back. He shook off his sadness as he added with a grin, "I'll have to come see your new digs soon – I've been meaning to check out the party scene in Bali."

Jack pretended to roll his eyes, earning him a mock-wounded look from Marc.

"Hey, just because you're a family man now, doesn't mean the rest of us can't have fun." His voice wobbled again as he teased him; Jack could feel himself getting choked up as his friend turned back to Kate.

Marc brushed his knuckles lightly against Izzy's cheek, causing her to look around wildly for him. "See ya, kid," he said when he caught her eye, eliciting one of her smiles. "And go easy on your dad, huh? He's a sucker for a pretty face."

Looking at Jack, making sure that he heard him, he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone as he added, his words reminiscent of their first conversation about Kate, "I heard he once moved his entire life to Bali for some chick…"

* * *

I've only got two more chapters planned after this: one of Jack and Kate (and Izzy!) on the boat, and an epilogue, so please, please review! The more reviews I get, the more inspired I'll be to start a new fic... 


	38. Chapter 38

This is the last chapter -- of course there's going to be big time Jate! The ending wouldn't be happy otherwise!

* * *

Chapter 38. Home 

While Jack had always known that there were risks involved in sailing, he became acutely aware of them now that they had an infant on board. Since he'd first hit on the idea of using the boat to get to Bali, he'd worried that they'd get caught in a storm, but to his relief, the journey went smoothly, the weather staying fine, the wind just strong enough to fill the sails.

With fewer stopovers than he'd expected, it wasn't long before they reached Indonesia, drifting into the Banda Sea, southeast of Bali. By the time they went to bed on the final night of their voyage, they could already make out the neighbouring island of Lombok, which meant that Bali wasn't far behind.

It had taken Jack a while to readjust to the boat's rhythmic movements, but after weeks out on the open ocean, he was able to sleep through the night. Kate, on the other hand, hadn't acclimatised as well. Even though Izzy was waking less now that she was almost five months old, he heard Kate rattling around the cabin in the early hours of the morning, but when he asked her about it, she laughed and told him to go back to bed.

He'd gotten so used to her restlessness that, on the last day of their journey, he didn't even notice when she got up, waking to find the cabin still and silent, devoid of life. Pulling his jeans on over his boxers, he climbed the ladder to the deck to find her standing at the bow, watching the sunrise with Izzy strapped to her chest. She was so absorbed by her thoughts that she didn't seem to hear him approach, starting when he reached her peripheral vision.

As she turned to look at him, Jack noticed, not for the first time, how tired and wan she looked, in spite of her tranquil smile. "Are you okay?" he asked, studying her carefully, concerned by the changes her behaviour and appearance had undergone since they'd left the US. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn she was keeping something from him, but she'd promised no more secrets. "You look a little pale."

She flashed him a wary smile as she returned her eyes to the ocean. "Yeah, just tired. I'll be glad when all this travelling is over."

It was a classic Kate evasion tactic, one she'd used too many times for him to fall prey to it again. When he gave her what he thought must have been a disgruntled look, she sighed, staring down at her hands on the railing as she added, "I wasn't going to tell you until we got to Bali – I know you've been worried about Izzy, so I didn't want to add to that."

"You realise you're going to have to tell me now, or I'll worry anyway," he pointed out, frowning as he tried to anticipate her explanation. He was a doctor: if she were seriously ill, he would have noticed, wouldn't he? She'd seemed a bit run down lately, but not enough to make him think that there was cause to be alarmed.

He relaxed a little when she laughed, looking nervous, but otherwise unconcerned. "Remember the conversation we had the day we took Izzy to the beach?"

"About having another baby?" It wasn't something he was going to forget any time soon.

"Yeah, that one." Her expression turned hopeful as she waited for him to put two and two together, and realise why she was reminding him of that now.

It didn't take long for Jack to piece together what she was saying, comprehension dawning on him as he studied her pale but smiling face. "You mean…?" He had to keep his own face from breaking into a grin as he added, "You're pregnant?"

"I'm not sure yet," she confessed, checking her enthusiasm as she stared down at the railing. "It's just a feeling, but it's the same one I had with Izzy – not in Bali, but in Australia, after you left. I haven't taken a test yet – I was waiting for you. I thought you might want to be there this time."

He nodded, processing this, trying not to appear too excited just yet; he didn't want her to feel like she'd failed him if it turned out to be a false alarm. Now that she were free, they had plenty of time to try again.

When he didn't respond right away, her smile began to waver. "I know it's a little sooner than we planned, but—"

"It's great," he cut in before she could talk him out of it, turning to her with the grin he'd been trying, and failing, to suppress. "Really."

As he watched her face light up, echoing his joy, it occurred to Jack that his life couldn't get much better than it was at that moment; there was only one thing he could think of that would make it complete.

"It trumps this," he said, reaching into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out the black velvet box he'd been carrying since they'd left L.A. After scouring every jeweller within a ten-mile radius, the day before they set out, he'd finally found what he wanted, but so far, he hadn't been able to settle on the right moment to give it to her.

"I was going to do this properly," he confessed, meeting her eyes; she was watching him intently now, holding her breath as she waited for him to go on, "maybe on the beach at sunset, but I've never been good at putting my feelings into words, so I'm just going to say – I love you, Kate. The year we spent apart was the worst of my life – I never want to be away from you for that long again."

She shook off her stunned look, her lips quirking into a smile as she asked, "Are you proposing to me, Jack?"

"Are you accepting?" He raised an eyebrow at her, amused at the way she'd hijacked his proposal.

"Yeah."

Her answer was so simple, so direct, that it took him a moment to realise what had happened, and then his face broke into a grin. "Okay then," he agreed as he cracked open the box. "I guess that's that."

In the weeks leading up to his decision, Jack had looked at dozens of rings, but none had left as deep an impression on him as the one he'd eventually chosen. It consisted of a small, single diamond, suspended on a thin gold band: simple and beautiful, with an understated elegance, like Kate.

"Do you like it?" he asked as he took it out of the box, sliding it carefully onto her finger.

She turned her hand in his so that she could admire it, returning his grin, her eyes sparkling with tears as she answered, "Yeah. It's perfect, Jack – thank you." Bringing her hands up to the sides of his face, she kissed him, resting her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jack was about to pull her in for another kiss when Izzy let out a little shriek, protesting at the lack of attention she'd been receiving. "And you," he added when she reached out for him, pressing his lips softly to her fuzzy curls.

Having said everything that they wanted to say, they turned back out to sea, watching in silence as the white sands of the Balinese coastline came into view. It had been a long journey, but it was finally nearing its end. They were safe, free to start over like Jack had promised so long ago.

As the sun finished its ascent, casting a soft golden light over their surroundings, Jack took his daughter's hand, waiting until he had her attention to point out the island ahead of them. "See that, Izzy?" he said, hoping that one day she'd understand the struggle they'd gone through to find it. "We're home."

* * *

So that's it. I am planning to put an epilogue up some time in the next few days, but other than that, I'm done. If you haven't reviewed yet, please, please do so -- I would really love to make it to two hundred this time. I would also love to know what you think of the story as a whole... 

And for those of you who have been reviewing as I go -- thanks. It means a lot to me.


	39. Chapter 39

I was gonna hold the epilogue for ransom, but I've decided to post it, since you guys are awesome. I'm glad you liked the last chapter...

* * *

Epilogue

While Jack had taken a job in the capital, at the Rumah Sakit Umum Propinsi Sanglash, Bali's best hospital, the city was polluted and congested with traffic, so they'd built a house on the coast to Denpasar's west. It was a fair commute, but after sharing so many life-altering moments with Kate on the beach, Jack couldn't imagine making a home with her anywhere else.

Parking his car in the garage, tired from the long drive, and an even longer shift, he parked his car in the garage, letting himself into the house. Normally Kate would drop whatever she was doing and come to meet him, but today, the living room was empty; Jack called up the stairs, but there was no answer, from the second floor, or anywhere else.

Confused, he stopped at the bottom, trying to remember if she'd said anything about going out that afternoon. He was pretty sure she hadn't. She could have gone to the store, he supposed, but they hadn't been that long ago.

Moving on to the kitchen, to check the backyard, he was relieved when the back door swung open, and a little girl with dark curls and brown eyes came hurtling towards him, trekking muddy footprints across the tiles.

Seeing the mess she was making, Jack opened his mouth to call her on it, and insist she go back out and wipe her feet, but he checked himself when he realised that he was the reason for her excitement. Coming down on her for being a kid was the kind of thing his own father would have done. He would ask her to help him mop it up later, but it really wasn't worth hurting her over.

Returning her grin, he caught her as she launched herself at him, lifting her onto his hip, surprised at how heavy she was getting. She wasn't the tiny, smiling baby they'd brought to Bali anymore, but Sam was right, the adoration he'd had for her then had only grown in the years since they'd arrived.

"Guess what me and Nat are doing with Mommy?" she prompted as she settled into his arms, positioning her bony arms around his neck.

She looked so anxious to tell him that he decided not to hazard a guess, shaking his head instead. "I don't know – what are you and Nat doing with Mommy?"

"Sinking," she told him proudly, smiling so that he could see the gap where she'd lost her front teeth. "It's really easy – you just put your feet in the sand, and you wait for the water to come, and when it goes out, you sink," she explained, her words reminding him of the ones Kate had spoken to him so long ago on the island.

"Where is Mommy? Is she still on the beach?" he asked, struck by the urge to see her. After more than five years together, he still looked forward to coming home to her every day, maybe more now that time had deepened the feelings he held towards her.

"Uh huh – so's Nat," she agreed.

"Why don't we go see them, and you can show me how you sink?" he suggested as he manoeuvred out of his work shoes, carrying her towards the back door.

"Okay, Daddy." She tightened her grip on him as they descended the stairs on the deck, relaxing when they reached the sand at the bottom.

Jack smiled when he spotted Kate standing at the edge of the water, staring out to sea, the smaller figure of their youngest daughter at her side. While Izzy was undoubtedly a daddy's girl, Natalie seemed to gravitate more towards Kate, following her around the house like a second shadow. She was also the one who bore the strongest resemblance to her mother, inheriting her green eyes and freckles along with her curls.

Their fears of Izzy being jealous had been unfounded, however; with only a year between them, the girls were as close as two kids could be, so long as Natalie let Izzy have her way. They'd bonded so well that Jack and Kate's biggest concern now was how Natalie would handle it when Izzy started school without her.

Setting Izzy down, Jack wrapped an arm around his other daughter, kissing the top of her head. She let him hold her there for a moment, looking up at him with a shy smile, before squirming away to join her sister.

He watched them caper around the beach for a moment, chasing sea birds, Izzy hyping Natalie up to her own level of excitement, all thoughts of sinking forgotten, before turning his attention to his wife.

They'd gotten married at the end of their first month in Bali, before Kate started showing, in a small civil ceremony attended only by Izzy, Marc, Sam, and to their surprise, Margo, who'd changed her mind at the last minute. She'd flown in again six months later for Natalie's birth, bonding with Kate as she helped her care for the girls. The tension between them hadn't evaporated completely, and Jack doubted it ever would, but his mother no longer treated Kate with the contempt she once had: she remembered her birthday, and spoke to her when she called, coming to Bali for Christmas so that they could all be together.

"Hey," he said softly, kissing Kate's cheek as he wound his arms around her, letting his hands rest on the seven-month swell of her stomach. "How's our boy?"

Though he'd shared in her disappointment at delivering a second girl, Jack hadn't been prepared for the surge of excitement he'd felt when a scan revealed that their third child was male. Until that moment, he'd never been sure that he wanted a son, but now, he couldn't wait to meet their little boy, and start building the kind of relationship he wished he'd had with his own father. He loved his daughters, they were his world, along with Kate, but somehow, this was different: a second chance, a way to get over the demons his father had left him with when he died.

Kate smiled as she settled back against him, bringing her own hands up to cover his. "A little restless – I think he kicked a hole in one of my kidneys – but other than that, he's great. We're both great. We're sinking," she added with a laugh.

Kissing her again, Jack rested his chin in the crook of her shoulder, moving his hand to prod gently at the top of her belly, grinning when their son prodded back. "He's not shy, is he?" he said. When he'd done the same thing with Natalie, she'd shifted away from the intrusion, withdrawing into her own private space.

"No – he's his father's son," Kate agreed with a laugh. "He can't wait to come out and take on the world."

"And I'm rooting for him, just as long as he doesn't want to be a surgeon," he said, giving her a wry smile as he added, "I'd rather that family tradition died with me."

"Nat's the one you should be keeping an eye on then," she told him, her grin fading a little, serious now. "You and Izzy might be close, but she's more like you than you know. She's so hard on herself – the last few days, I've been teaching Izzy to tie her shoes for school, and since Nat was around, I've been showing her too. This morning, I found her on the floor of her room, crying, because she couldn't remember the story I told them. I have to keep reminding her she's only four."

"What story?" Jack asked curiously, resolving to talk to their daughter later. He didn't want her obsessing over things the way he did, always wanting to be better than she was at that moment. It was no way to live; it had taken him forty years to get the place he was now, a place where he could be happy.

"The one about the bunny," she said, as if that explained everything. When he raised a sceptical eyebrow at her, she flushed, embarrassed. "Your mom never did that with you? I thought that was how all kids learned to tie their shoes."

Jack shook his head, sobering as he thought back to his own childhood. "My mom never had time to do all that Mom stuff. I was pretty much on my own." She was making up for it now, with the girls, but he would always regret that she wasn't there for him when he needed it. It shouldn't have taken a plane crash for her to be his mother.

Watching his expression, Kate turned away from him with a sad smile, her eyes falling on their daughters as they scurried up and down the beach. "Me too. She tried, but she was never there for me either – her or my dad. I guess things are going to be really different for them."

* * *

That's a real hospital by the way...

So that's it, the end. I haven't settled on a new idea yet, but I'll start posting again as soon as I do, so long as you guys promise to keep up your lovely reviews. Thank you so much for your words of encouragment, and general enthusiasm -- it really does make it all worthwhile.


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